Depression in Chronic Back Pain Patients: Prediction of Pain Intensity and Pain Disability in Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment

Abstract

Pain patients with comorbid depression have reduced quality of life and more disturbances than patients without such comorbidity. The aim of this study was to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of depression and chronic pain. The authors followed a sample of patients who took part in a cognitive-behavior treatment protocol for chronic pain. Higher depression levels at pretreatment were associated with higher pain intensity and higher pain disability at pretreatment. Depression at pretreatment did not affect treatment outcome. Changes in depression from pretreatment to posttreatment accounted for variance in changes in pain intensity and pain disability. The authors concluded that reducing pain-related depression could be a central therapeutic mechanism in cognitive-behavioral treatment of chronic back pain.