Psychosocial Factors, Pain Parameters, Mental Health and Coping among Turkish and Swedish Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain

Abstract

The objective of the study was to examine differences between 65 Turkish and 446 Swedish patients with musculoskeletal pain in terms of several sociodemographic, pain-related and psychosocial parameters (e.g. burnout, job strain). The design was cross-sectional. Data were collected by means of questionnaires in conjunction with the patients' visits to general practitioners or physiotherapists. Turkish patients, in comparison to Swedish patients, were more often widows or widowers, blue-collar workers and had lower educational levels. They were more often unemployed and more troubled by their financial and living situation, supported themselves more often via benefits, and had had longer sick-leave periods. Further, Turks rated their pain as being of longer duration and more intense, constant and complex. They were more often consumers of analgesics and sedatives, experienced treatments as less effective, and felt more disabled. Finally, Turks perceived higher demands and less control in their work environments, exhibited greater emotional distress and burnout, had lower self-esteem, and poorer ability to cope with pain. It was concluded that compared to Swedish patients, Turkish patients were exposed to a greater variety of psychosocial stressors, were more negatively affected by their pain conditions, had poorer mental health and less ability to cope with pain. These findings suggest that multidisciplinary team interventions are required in order to target multiple problematic areas of these patients' life situations.