Psychological Distress in Out-Patients Assessed for Chronic Pain Compared to Those with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Rheumatology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Chronic pain (CP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) share overlapping symptoms, notably significant pain.
• Patients with these conditions often require specialized care.
• Understanding psychological distress differences is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare psychological distress levels between CP patients attending a pain clinic and RA patients attending a rheumatology clinic.
• To identify specific psychological variables that differ between these patient groups.
• To inform tailored therapeutic interventions for each condition.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 330 participants (167 CP, 163 RA).
• Data collected via questionnaires on demographics, pain characteristics, and psychological variables.
• Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) used for statistical comparison.

Main Results:

• Significantly higher psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress) observed in the CP group compared to the RA group.
• CP patients exhibited more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms based on DASS severity.
• Specific subscales of DASS, PASS, and PCS indicated greater distress in the CP cohort.

Conclusions:

• Individuals with chronic pain referred to specialist clinics report greater psychological distress than rheumatoid arthritis patients.
• The findings underscore the importance of addressing mental health comorbidities in chronic pain management.
• Specialized pain clinics may need to integrate more comprehensive psychological support services.