Predictors of the development of chronic pain

The purpose of this secondary analysis was to explore the role of potential risk factors in predicting the development of chronic pain. Linear discriminant function analysis was used to derive a prediction equation that maximized the differences between a group of hospitalized patients experiencing acute pain who developed chronic pain (n = 171) and a group whose pain resolved (n = 200). Patients who developed chronic pain reported a higher pain intensity, higher anxiety and distress, less certainty that their pain would resolve, longer hospitalization, less independence in ambulation, a diagnosis of trauma, and less need for surgery. Recognition of these factors could lead to early identification of those individuals with acute pain who are at risk for developing chronic pain.