Pain catastrophizing and consequences of musculoskeletal pain: A prospective study in the Dutch community

Abstract

By elaborating on previous prospective and cross-sectional research, the primary aim of this study was to examine in the general community whether pain catastrophizing predicts the development of chronic pain complaints and other consequences of pain. The following health index values were examined as consequences of pain: specialist consultation, use of pain medication, and absenteeism. It was also examined whether these relationships were moderated by the number of pain problems and by pain intensity. The results demonstrated a generally low level of catastrophizing and a small but significant effect of catastrophizing on the development of chronic pain complaints. With respect to the health index values, no significant effects of catastrophizing were found, nor were the relationships between catastrophizing and chronicity and the health index values moderated by the number of pain problems or by pain intensity. © 2005 by the American Pain Society.