Ja. Blair et al., PRE-INJURY EMOTIONAL TRAUMA AND CHRONIC BACK PAIN - AN UNEXPECTED FINDING, Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976), 19(10), 1994, pp. 1144-1147
Study Design. A retrospective study investigated pre-injury emotional
trauma in out-of-work, blue collar patients with chronic back pain (N
= 27) who participated in a 30-hour workshop in which a wide range cog
nitive skills was taught to help patients with rehabilitation and retu
rn them to work. Objectives. This study identified categories of pre-i
njury emotional trauma, calculated summary statistics, and performed c
ategory comparisons. Methods. The categories of abandonment, emotional
abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse emerged from the date. Freque
ncies and percentages in each category were calculated. Chi-square tes
ts compared the differences in emotional trauma and gender. Results. S
tatistically more patients reported abandonment and emotional abuse th
an physical and sexual abuse. There were no differences in trauma rate
s by gender. The results of the study revealed a high rate of pre-inju
ry emotional trauma in patients with chronic back pain. Conclusion. In
cluding pre-injury emotional trauma in psychologic evaluations of pati
ents with chronic back pain and high psychologic test scores is recomm
ended.