Correlation of anxiety and depression with ankle function in chronic ankle instability patients and analysis of risk factors.

Background: Psychological comorbidities, such as anxiety and depression, in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) may impede ankle function improvement, although the precise nature of this association warrants further investigation.

Aim: To analyze the correlation of anxiety and depression with ankle function in patients with CAI and discussing the risk factors.

Methods: This study included 116 patients with CAI, who were admitted to our hospital from July 2022 to July 2024. Anxiety and depression states of patients were assessed with the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS), respectively, and their ankle joint function was assessed with the ankle-hindfoot function score of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society. Further, the ankle function of patients with CAI with different anxiety and depression states was discussed. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation of anxiety and depression with ankle joint function in such patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the factors affecting ankle joint function in patients with CAI.

Results: Among the 116 patients with CAI, 97, 13, 5, and 1 cases demonstrated none, mild, moderate, and severe anxiety, whereas 95, 15, 6, and 0 cases showed none, mild, moderate, and severe depression, respectively. The average ankle joint function score was 74.82 ± 6.93 points. The ankle joint function in patients with CAI presented a significant downward tendency as the degree of anxiety and depression increased. Correlation analysis revealed that both the SAS and SDS scores of patients with CAI were significantly negatively correlated with the ankle joint function score. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that the risk factors affecting patients' ankle joint function included early functional rehabilitation, visual analog scale, and SDS.

Conclusion: A substantial number of patients with CAI suffer from anxiety and depression, and these negative emotions, to a certain extent, harm the smooth rehabilitation of ankle joint function.