The assessment of psychological factors on upper extremity disability: a scoping review
Abstract
Introduction The primary purpose of this scoping review was to describe the nature and extent of the published research that assesses the relationship between psychological features and patient-reported outcome following surgery or rehabilitation of upper extremity disease or injury.Methods Twenty-two included studies were examined for quantitative study design, outcome measure, inclusion/exclusion criteria, follow-up and recruitment strategy. Patient population and psychological assessment tools were examined for validity.Results Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria for this study. Only 7 of the 22 studies were longitudinal and the rest were cross sectional studies. Depression was the most common psychological status of interest and was included in 17 studies. Pain catastrophizing was the psychological status of interest in 5 of the studies. Four studies considered anxiety, 3 considered pain anxiety, 3 considered distress, 2 considered coping, 2 considered catastrophic thinking, and 2 considered fear avoidance beliefs.Discussion The majority of studies in this review were cross-sectional studies. Cross-sectional studies may not provide conclusive information about cause-and-effect relationships. This review encourages clinicians to be mindful of the psychological implications found in rehabilitation of individuals with upper extremity disease or injury along with being cognizant of choosing appropriate measurement tools that best represent each patient's characteristics and diagnoses.Conclusions The nature of the research addressing psychological factors affecting outcomes after hand injury focus on negative traits and have limited strength to suggest causation as most have used cross-sectional designs. Stronger longitudinal designs and consideration of positive traits are needed in future studies.
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Psychological factors such as cognitive coping strategies and psychological distress are mediators of pain intensity for given nociception.
“Despite mounting evidence of the importance of psychological factors such as cognitive coping strategies (catastrophic thinking, fear of movement) and psychological distress (symptoms of depression and anxiety) as mediators of pain intensity for given nociception [3]”
From A Scoping Review of the Evidence regarding Assessment and Management of Psychological Features of Shoulder Pain. (2021) · cites this paper as [3]
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- Authors
- MacDermid, J. C., Valdes, K., Szekeres, M., Naughton, N., & Algar, L.
- Affiliations
- St. Joseph's Hospital (CA)
- Gannon University (US)
- Corresponding author
- MacDermid, Joy C.
- Venue
- Journal of Hand Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-10
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 511-523
- ISSN
- 0894-1130 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2770514217
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 0.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Hand Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Scholarship@Western (Western University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Medical Practices and Rehabilitation
- Keywords
- psychological factors, upper limb impairment, hand injuries, patient-reported outcomes, depression, pain catastrophizing, anxiety, pain-related anxiety, distress, coping, fear-avoidance beliefs, psychological assessment instruments, hand surgery, rehabilitation outcomes
- MeSH terms
- Patient Reported Outcome Measures, Adaptation, Psychological, Arm Injuries, Disability Evaluation, Hand Injuries, Humans, Upper Extremity
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