Gender differences in chronic pain--findings from a population-based study of Norwegian adults

The purpose of this study was to evaluate for gender differences in the experience of chronic pain and the impact of chronic pain on quality of life (QOL). A total of 1,912 out of 4,000 Norwegian citizens returned a mailed questionnaire, and 24.4% reported chronic pain. More women than men reported chronic pain, and women reported significantly higher pain intensity scores than men did. Although the duration of chronic pain was similar in women and men, women more often received treatment for their chronic pain. Men in chronic pain reported a poorer QOL than women did. Although specific variables that predicted present pain intensity in women and men differed, the variables that explained the largest percentage of the variance in pain for both genders were the disease and the pain location variables. These findings support previously published studies that document gender differences in chronic pain and extend the work to the impact of chronic pain on QOL.