MONEY MATTERS - A METAANALYTIC REVIEW OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FINANCIAL COMPENSATION AND THE EXPERIENCE AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN

Meta-analytic procedures were used to determine the relation between d isability compensation and pain. Of the 157 relevant identified studie s, only 32 contained quantifiable data from treatment and control grou ps. The majority of these exclusively examined chronic low back pain p atients (72%). Overall, 136 comparisons were obtained, on the basis of 3,802 pain patients and 3,849 controls. Liberal procedures for estima ting effect sizes (ESs) yielded an ES of .60 (p < .0002). Conservative procedures yielded an ES of .48 (p < .0005). Both ESs differed from z ero, indicating that compensation is related to increased reports of p ain and decreased treatment efficacy. These results are interpreted in light of current models of pain. Health policy implications are also discussed.