Pain Catastrophizing Associated With Pain Disability in Endometeiosis

Healthcare professionals should evaluate the effects of endometriosis using a biopsychosocial framework.

Key Points

Highlights: 

• Pain catastrophizing and pain disability are significantly linked among patients with endometriosis. 

Importance:

• This finding can ensure that healthcare professionals properly evaluate patients with endometriosis. 

What’s done here:

• Researchers analyzed the between-group differences in pain disability and pain catastrophizing in patients with endometriosis below and above clinically relevant moderate pain intensity levels.
• A total of 686 patients with self-reported clinician-identified endometriosis were evaluated

Key results:

• Moderate or greater pain intensity levels are associated with increased levels of pain disability and pain catastrophizing.
• Clinically relevant levels of pain catastrophizing are associated with increased levels of pain disability. 
• Clinically relevant levels of moderate pain disability are associated with increased levels of pain catastrophizing.

Lay Summary

Pain catastrophizing and pain disability significantly affect each other in patients with endometriosis, according to a new study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 

“Future research should examine the temporal relationship between catastrophizing and disability to inform intervention practices,” the auhtors of the study said. “Health care providers are strongly encouraged to evaluate the effects of endometriosis in patients using a biopsychosocial framework”.

To shed light on the possible link between components of pain catastrophizing and pain disability in patients with endometriosis, Drs Samantha L. Levang and Caroline F. Pukall from the Department of Psychology at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada analyzed 686 patients with self-reported clinician-identified endometriosis.

The researchers used two-tailed independent samples t-tests to analyze between-group differences in pain disability and pain catastrophizing among patients below and those above clinically relevant moderate pain intensity levels. They also analyzed between-group differences in pain disability among patients below and above the clinically relevant pain catastrophizing level as well as between-group differences in pain catastrophizing among patients below and above the clinically relevant moderate pain disability level.

The results showed that experiencing pain intensity levels that are moderate or greater was associated with increased levels of pain disability and pain catastrophizing.  There was also a strong link between clinically relevant levels of pain catastrophizing and increased levels of pain disability as well as between clinically relevant levels of moderate pain disability and increased levels of pain catastrophizing.

“Pain catastrophizing significantly affects pain disability and vice versa,” the researchers concluded.

Endometriosis is a debilitating disease that affects around 1 in 10 women of reproductive age worldwide. Women affected by the disease often experience chronic pelvic pain and period pain that considerably affects their quality of life. Pain catastrophizing is a cognitive-emotional response marked by exaggerated negative thoughts and beliefs about pain, whereas pain disability refers to the impairment in daily functioning caused by pain.

Research Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38171483/