Needs and Problems Related to Occupational Therapy as Perceived by Adult Swedes with Long-Term Pain

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The purposes of this study were to describe (1) perceived needs for occupational therapy, (2) the frequency of healthcare visits, (3) specific pain-related characteristics, and (4) to explore differences in these aspects between low ( h 4 visits/year) and high consumers (> 4 visits/year) of healthcare among persons aged 18 -58 years with self-perceived activity limitations/participation restrictions due to long-term/recurrent pain. A sample of 443 individuals with long-term/recurrent pain completed questionnaires concerning these variables. The highest frequencies of perceived needs/problems were reported for ''temporal imbalance'', ''perform activities with greater effort'' and ''tense/stressed due to pain''. Principal component analysis (PCA) yielded four categories of needs/problems: (1) ''limitations in activity performance'', (2) ''need for education'', (3) ''need to regain activities'' and (4) ''adjustment difficulties''. Almost 40% of the respondents had more than four healthcare visits during the previous year. The highest frequencies of specific pain-related characteristics were reported for shoulder/low back pain of searing/aching/gnawing character, and depressive symptoms. The high healthcare consumers (HHC) perceived significantly more interference when performing daily occupations (e.g. stopped/interrupted performance of activity) than did the low healthcare consumers (LHC). The HHC group evidenced higher scores than the LHC group for all PCA-generated factors. The results suggest that persons with long-term/recurrent pain perceive needs/problems related to daily occupations and various depressive symptoms that are particularly frequent among those with high healthcare consumption.