Sophie Lykkegaard Ravn

Validation of the PTSD-8 scale in chronic pain patients

Objectives The aim was to validate the short PTSD-8 scale against the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-1) for post-traumatic stress disorder and to test the latent structure of post-traumatic stress disorder in chronic pain patients. Methods A total of 51 chronic nonmalignant pain patients exposed to a traumatic event were consecutively recruited from a multidisciplinary pain center. All participants answered a baseline questionnaire followed by the PTSD-8 and the diagnostic interview for PTSD. Finally, the latent structure of PTSD-8 was tested in a large cohort of 419 patients with chronic nonmalignant pain using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results In total, 33.3% had a diagnosis of PTSD. A good overall accuracy was found validating the PTSD-8 against the diagnostic interview. Convergent validity was indicated as the PTSD-8 correlated strongly with scores of depression and anxiety. The results of the CFA for the PTSD-8 three-factor structure provided excellent fit for the eight post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Conclusions Overall, the results showed that the PTSD-8 is a valid short screening tool to assess possible post-traumatic stress disorder among patients with chronic pain. In addition, the PTSD-8 scale comprises all of the upcoming ICD-11 post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms within its eight items. Thus, the PTSD-8 is likely also to measure the proposed ICD-11 post-traumatic stress disorder.

Post-traumatic stress symptom clusters in acute whiplash associated disorder and their prediction of chronic pain-related disability

Introduction: The presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms has been found to be associated with an increased risk of persisting neck pain and disability in motor vehicle crash (MVC) survivors with whiplash injuries. The findings are mixed as to which PTSD symptom(s) best predicts recovery in this population. Objectives: The aims were (1) to explore the factor structure of the Post-traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS) in a sample of acute whiplash-injured individuals following a MVC and (2) to identify the PTSD-symptom clusters that best predict long-term neck pain-related disability in this population as measured by the Neck Pain Disability Index (NDI). Methods: A sample (N = 146) of whiplash-injured individuals completed the NDI and the PDS at baseline (<1 month) and at 6 months follow-up. Results: Principal component analyses generated 2 symptom clusters: re-experiencing/avoidance and hyperarousal/numbing. Nine trauma-related PTSD symptoms loaded exclusively on the re-experiencing/avoidance cluster and 7 nonspecific PTSD symptoms loaded exclusively on the hyperarousal/numbing cluster. One PTSD symptom (ie, inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma) had no salient loading on either clusters. Structural equation modelling analysis indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between the hyperarousal/numbing symptom cluster and long-term neck pain-related disability, while no significant relationship was found between the re-experiencing/avoidance symptom cluster and long-term neck pain-related disability. Conclusion: Given that only the hyperarousal/numbing symptom cluster predicted long-term neck pain-related disability, this finding may have implications in terms of diagnosis, assessment, and management of the psychological impact of whiplash-injured individuals following a MVC.

Pain-related Acceptance as a Mediator in the Fear-Avoidance Model of Chronic Pain

Objective The fear avoidance model has served as a popular, heuristic model in explaining the transition from acute to chronic pain. In addition, the significance of pain-related acceptance in chronic pain development and adjustment is underlined in a vast number of empirical studies. The objective of the current preliminary study was to investigate pain-related acceptance as a mediator within the key cognitive relationships proposed by the fear avoidance model of chronic pain. Materials and Methods. In a cross-sectional design, bodily pain, pain catastrophizing, fear avoidance beliefs, and pain-related acceptance were assessed by questionnaires in 125 chronic pain patients in a Danish multidisciplinary pain center. Mediation analyses were performed to test the effect of pain-related acceptance on bodily pain, pain catastrophizing, and fear avoidance beliefs. Results Medium-sized correlations were found between all outcomes. Mediation analyses revealed that pain-related acceptance was a significant mediator between 1) bodily pain and pain catastrophizing and 2) pain catastrophizing and fear avoidance beliefs after controlling for bodily pain. Furthermore, pain-related acceptance accounted for a large proportion in both associations (82.2% and 56.1%). Conclusions The results suggest that pain-related acceptance is a prominent psychological mechanism within the key cognitive associations of the fear avoidance model, which predicts a certain path of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. This proposes pain-related acceptance to be an important mechanism that possibly counteracts the negative reactions of pain catastrophizing and fear avoidance beliefs. These findings should be investigated further and could potentially be an important place to intervene clinically in order to counteract the development and/or maintenance of chronic pain.

Do post-traumatic pain and post-traumatic stress symptomatology mutually maintain each other? A systematic review of cross-lagged studies

Abstract After traumatic exposure, individuals are at risk of developing symptoms of both pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Theory and research suggest a complex and potentially mutually maintaining relationship between these symptomatologies. However, findings are inconsistent and the applied methods are not always well suited for testing mutual maintenance. Cross-lagged designs can provide valuable insights into such temporal associations, but there is a need for a systematic review to assist clinicians and researchers in understanding the nature of the relationship. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to identify, critically appraise, and synthesize results from cross-lagged studies on pain and PTSD symptomatology to assess the evidence for longitudinal reciprocity and potential mediators. Systematic searches resulted in 7 eligible studies that were deemed of acceptable quality with moderate risk of bias using the cohort study checklist from Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Furthermore, synthesis of significant pathways in the cross-lagged models showed inconsistent evidence of both bidirectional and unidirectional interaction patterns between pain and PTSD symptomatology across time, hence not uniformly supporting the theoretical framework of mutual maintenance. In addition, the synthesis suggested that hyperarousal and intrusion symptoms may be of particular importance in these cross-lagged relationships, while there was inconclusive evidence of catastrophizing as a mediator. In conclusion, the findings suggest an entangled, but not necessarily mutually maintaining relationship between pain and PTSD symptomatology. However, major variations in findings and methodologies complicated synthesis, prompting careful interpretation and heightening the likelihood that future high-quality studies will change these conclusions.

The impact of attachment insecurity on pain and pain behaviors in experimental pain

OBJECTIVES Pain perception and pain behaviors are distinct phenomena with different functions. Pain behaviors are protective in their functions, which include eliciting empathy or caring behaviors from others. Moreover, pain behaviors are intertwined with interpersonal relationships with significant others, which is why attachment orientations have been suggested as interpersonal schemas moderating the association between pain and pain behaviors. The aim of the current study was to assess the impact of insecure attachment dimensions on pain behaviors in laboratory-induced pain. METHODS This experimental study included a sample of 60 patients with low back pain recruited from a large spine center in a hospital in Region of Southern Denmark. Patients were recorded on video during a cold pressor procedure and asked to rate their level of pain. Prior to the procedure, attachment orientations were assessed by the Revised Adult Attachment Scale. Two assessors independently coded the recorded video material for protective and communicative pain behaviors. RESULTS A positive correlation of moderate size was found between pain intensity and pain communication. As hypothesized, attachment anxiety moderated the association between pain and pain behaviors. A high level of attachment anxiety was associated with at weaker association between pain and pain behaviors. None of the attachment dimensions correlated with pain intensity or pain behaviors. CONCLUSION The results indicate that patients with high levels of attachment anxiety may downplay pain and communication thereof. This finding is of potential clinical importance, since pain communication, among others, serves the function of eliciting caring behavior from healthcare personnel.

The role of posttraumatic stress symptoms on chronic pain outcomes in chronic pain patients referred to rehabilitation

Objectives Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are highly prevalent in chronic pain patients and may affect pain symptomatology negatively, but there is still a great need to explore exactly how this occurs. Therefore, this study investigated differences in pain intensity, pain-related disability, and psychological distress between chronic pain patients not exposed to a trauma, patients exposed to a trauma with no PTSS, and patients exposed to a trauma with PTSS. Moreover, the moderating effects of PTSS on the associations between pain intensity and pain-related disability and psychological distress were investigated. Methods In this cross-sectional cohort study, data were consecutively collected over the course of a year in patients with chronic non-malignant pain referred for multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation at a Danish university hospital pain center using questionnaires assessing pain, pain-related disability, PTSS, anxiety, and depression. Results The final sample consisted of 682 chronic pain patients, who were divided into three subgroups (no trauma, 40.6%; trauma/no PTSS, 40.5%; trauma/PTSS, 18.9%). Chronic pain patients with PTSS reported significantly higher levels of pain intensity, pain-related disability, depression, and anxiety compared to chronic pain patients without a trauma and chronic pain patients without PTSS. Moreover, PTSS significantly moderated the associations between pain intensity and pain-related psychosocial disability, depression, and anxiety. Conclusion These results highlight the importance of assessing PTSS in chronic pain patients and suggest that PTSS have a specific influence on the association between pain intensity and more psychosocial aspects of the pain condition.

Reciprocal associations of pain and post-traumatic stress symptoms after whiplash injury: A longitudinal, cross-lagged study

The objectives of the current study were to investigate (1) the longitudinal, reciprocal associations between pain and post‐traumatic stress symptoms as proposed by the mutual maintenance model, and (2) to assess the predictive value of the three clusters of post‐traumatic stress, where the model revealed that post‐traumatic stress symptoms maintained pain in a consecutive cohort of whiplash‐injured.

Trajectories of posttraumatic stress symptoms after whiplash:A prospective cohort study

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are highly prevalent after whiplash and associated with pain‐related symptoms. While mutual maintenance between pain and PTSD has been suggested, knowledge on individual differences in the course of these symptoms is needed. The present study aimed to identify trajectories of PTSD symptoms following whiplash and test predictors and functional outcomes of such trajectories.