Cited by 41Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchMusculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationPain Management and Treatment

Number and Type of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Domains Are Associated With Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Pain

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Langford, Dale J., Theodore, Brian R., Balsiger, Danica, Tran, Christine, Doorenbos, Ardith Z., Tauben, David J., Sullivan, Mark D.·2018·The Journal of Pain

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly accompanies complex chronic pain, yet PTSD is often overlooked in chronic pain management. Using the 4-item Primary Care (PC)-PTSD screening tool, we evaluated the relationship between the number and type of PC-PTSD symptoms endorsed and a set of patient-reported outcomes, including: pain intensity and interference, function, mood, quality of life, and substance abuse risk in a consecutive sample of patients with chronic pain (n = 4,402). Patients completed PainTracker, a Web-based patient-reported outcome tool that provides a multidimensional evaluation of chronic pain, as part of their intake evaluation at a specialty pain clinic in a community setting. Twenty-seven percent of the sample met PC-PTSD screening criteria for PTSD by endorsing 3 of the 4 symptom domains. Significant ordinal trends were observed between increasing number of PTSD symptoms and all outcomes evaluated. The occurrence of even 1 PTSD symptom was associated with overall poorer outcomes, suggesting that subsyndromal PTSD is clinically significant in the context of chronic pain. Among the 4 PTSD domains assessed, "numbness/detachment" was most strongly associated with negative pain outcomes in relative weight analysis. Results from this cross-sectional study suggest that a range of pain-related outcomes may be significantly related to comorbid PTSD.Perspective We present evidence that PTSD symptoms are significantly related to a broad set of pain-related patient-reported outcomes. These findings highlight the need to evaluate for PTSD symptoms in patients with chronic pain, especially feelings of numbness or detachment from others, to improve understanding and management of chronic pain.

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  1. [27]Kroenke K Spitzer RL Williams JB The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure J Gen Intern Med 16 9 606 13 2001 11556941 PMC1495268
  2. [39]Schnurr PP A guide to the literature on partial PTSD PTSD Research Quarterly 25 1 1 8 2014

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Authors
Langford, D. J., Theodore, B. R., Balsiger, D., Tran, C., Doorenbos, A. Z., Tauben, D. J., & Sullivan, M. D.
Affiliations
University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Langford, Dale J.
Venue
The Journal of Pain
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-05
Volume
19
Issue
5
Pages
506-514
ISSN
1526-5900 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2782249199
Cited by
41
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1
FWCI
3.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Pain (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Nursing Research (K24NR015340)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, patient-reported outcomes, pain intensity, pain interference, functional status, mood, quality of life, substance abuse risk, PTSD screening, subsyndromal PTSD, pain clinic patients
MeSH terms
Patient Reported Outcome Measures, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pain Measurement, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Young Adult, Chronic Pain

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