BRIDGING THE GAP - SUPPORT GROUPS DO NOT ENHANCE LONG-TERM OUTCOME INCHRONIC BACK PAIN

Objective: Because back pain patients often relapse within months of t reatment, the effects of two types of support groups as a complement t o usual medical treatment was investigated on long-term outcome. Desig n: Regular treatment was compared with an ''educational'' support grou p and a professional support group before and 1 year after interventio n in a randomized controlled trial. Patients: A total of 76 women and 27 men, average age of 50 years and with an accumulated sick leave for musculoskeletal pain of 2-24 weeks during the past year, were randoml y assigned to the three groups. Outcome Measures: Sick leave records w ere obtained from the National Insurance Authority. A battery of stand ardized instruments was employed, which featured the Sickness Impact P rofile, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, the Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale, the Pain and D iscomfort Scale, the Pain Beliefs and Perceptions Inventory, and the O utcome Evaluation Questionnaire. Results: The Educational Support Grou p demonstrated greater attendance than did the Professional Support Gr oup. However, long-term outcome was not significantly different betwee n any of the groups for sick leave, coping, function, or experienced p ain. Both support groups, relative to the Regular Treatment Group, mad e greater improvements on the Sickness Impact Profile. Conclusion: Thi s study provides little evidence that support groups, as a complement to regular treatment, enhance long-term outcome for subacute musculosk eletal pain problems. Specific treatment techniques, matched to the pa tient's needs, stringently taught, and delivered in a more compact for m, may be necessary for enhancing outcome.