The relationship between catastrophizing and disability in amputees experiencing phantom pain

In recent years, researchers have noted that catastrophizing predicts both self-reported and objective measures of disability in a variety of chronic pain conditions. The present study sought to examine this in a working-age amputee population experiencing phantom pain.

Participants completed a postal questionnaire incorporating measures of pain, disability and coping. A response rate of 62% resulted in 315 completed data sets being incorporated into the study.

Utilizing the three subscales of the Sickness Impact Profile, catastrophizing uniquely predicted 11% of the variance in overall level of disability, 6% in physical disability and 13% in psychosocial disability after accounting for demographic, amputation and pain-related variables.

The findings suggest that catastrophizing is a significant predictor of self-reported disability in an amputee population. This population have lifetime rehabilitation needs in that prostheses have to be remade on a regular basis. The service provided tends to focus on physical rehabilitation with the goal of providing amputees with limbs that most closely resemble the appearance and function of the intact limb. This study provides tentative support for development of an intervention that specifically targets catastrophizing.