Interpersonal Problem Behavior and Low Back Pain

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2018 Nov 16

PMID 30439970

Citations 2

Authors

Constanze Borys

Steffi Nodop

Christoph Anders

Robin Tutzschke

Hans Christoph Scholle

Andrea Thomas

Uwe Altmann

Bernhard Strauss

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: The theory of interpersonal problem behaviour (IPB) provides a more fundamental framework for understanding the psychosocial aspects of pain. The present study focused on the IPB, based on the Interpersonal Problem Circumplex (IPC), in persons with low back pain and its association with pain, psychological characteristics, and health care utilisation.

Methods: In a cross-sectional design, individuals with back pain (N = 88) and healthy control persons who matched by age, gender, and educational level (N = 88) were compared with regard to IPB. Furthermore, back pain patients classified by their IPB (N = 24 low, N = 48 moderate, N = 16 high) were compared regarding pain, depression, catastrophising, and health care utilisation.

Results: In comparison to the healthy reference sample, a significant difference in the interpersonal problems of the low back pain group, with a tendency towards being overly 'introverted', 'exploitable', and 'subassertive', was revealed. In the back pain group, participants with elevated IPB showed significantly higher levels of pain intensity, functional disability, depression, catastrophising, and health care utilisation than participants with IPB in the normal range.

Conclusion: Application of the Interpersonal Circumplex Model can help to characterize a subgroup of persons with low back pain. Increased general interpersonal problems are associated with elevated burden in pain-related, psychological, and health care-related variables. Future research should focus on the treatment opportunities for this subgroup, as well as on the influence of interpersonal problems during the course of back pain.

Citing Articles

Trends in Physiotherapy of Chronic Low Back Pain Research: Knowledge Synthesis Based on Bibliometric Analysis.

Sajnovic U, Kokol P, Zavrsnik J, Blazun Vosner H Healthcare (Basel). 2024; 12(16).

PMID: 39201234 PMC: 11354025. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12161676.

Association between untreated low back pain and injury proneness and confounding role of behavioral-health difficulties among younger adolescents: a population-based study.

Chau K, Chau N Eur Spine J. 2023; 32(6):2069-2077.

PMID: 37103577 DOI: 10.1007/s00586-023-07679-4.

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