Psychological factors in the chronicity of back pain: Impact on treatment engagement and disability

Background: There are well-established positive relationships between psychological distress and chronic back pain and disability. However, there is very limited research in relation to levels of psychological distress and the effect it has on treatment engagement in those with chronic back pain.

Methods: 89 men and 112 women experiencing back pain recruited via convenience sampling completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire, the West Haven-Tale Multidimensional Pain Inventory, and a demographic questionnaire designed purposely for the study.

Results: Depression, anxiety, affective distress, and life control predicted the number of treatments engaged in for back pain, (R2 = 0.29, [16,161] = 12.19, p = .0005) and the level of disability, (R2 =.31, F[14,177] = 19.60, p = .0005).

Conclusions: The level of engagement in treatments was predicted by psychological factors rather than by the level of pain experienced by participa...