The Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Chronic Pain Patients in a Tertiary Care Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

There is limited research regarding the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in civilian multidisciplinary pain clinics. Controlled studies have only examined specific patient populations, such as those with motor vehicle accidents, war veterans, work-related injuries, back pain, and headache. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in patients with chronic pain at a large multidisciplinary pain clinic. Three hundred consecutive new or newly referred patients with a self-reported history of chronic pain were recruited to complete an in-person screen for PTSD symptoms, which included the Brief Trauma Questionnaire and the PTSD Symptom-Scale Self-Report. Two hundred and sixty-five were eligible for the study. Seventy-four (28%) screened positive for PTSD symptoms, a value higher than the lifetime prevalence of PTSD in the general population (6.8%). Those who screened positive for PTSD symptoms were significantly younger (p = 0.007) and had higher levels of pain intensity (p = 0.0005) compared to those who screened negative for PTSD symptoms. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms in our chronic pain population (28%) exceeded the prevalence of PTSD in the general population (7%). Patients with chronic pain who screened positive for PTSD reported higher pain severity and were younger. This emphasizes the need for PTSD screening in the chronic pain population, as early identification and treatment may be effective in reducing the mounting health care costs and disease burden of comorbid chronic pain and PTSD.