Pain Acceptance and Pain-Related Disability Predict Healthcare Utilization and Medication Intake in Patients with Non-Specific Chronic Spinal Pain

Rosa Esteve, Alicia Eva López-Martínez, Gema Teresa Ruíz-Párraga, Elena Rocío Serrano-Ibáñez and Carmen Ramírez-Maestre
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Rosa Esteve: Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga, Facultad de Psicología, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Alicia Eva López-Martínez: Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga, Facultad de Psicología, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Gema Teresa Ruíz-Párraga: Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga, Facultad de Psicología, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Elena Rocío Serrano-Ibáñez: Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga, Facultad de Psicología, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Carmen Ramírez-Maestre: Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga, Facultad de Psicología, Andalucía Tech, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Longitudinal research is needed to determine predictive factors of healthcare utilization and medication intake in people with non-specific spinal pain. This study aims to prospectively examine the predictive value of sex, age, work status, pain intensity, pain acceptance, disability, depression, pain anxiety, and catastrophizing in relation to healthcare utilization and medication intake in people with non-specific spinal pain. Participants were 79 patients with non-specific spinal pain of 6 to 9 months’ duration. They were followed-up at 6 months and 12 months. At enrolment they were administered a battery of questionnaires assessing the predictive variables. Healthcare utilization and medication intake were assessed at follow-ups 1 and 2. At follow-up 1, higher pain acceptance was associated with less healthcare utilization and less medication intake, while male sex was associated with less medication intake. At follow-up 2, higher pain-related disability was associated with higher healthcare use, and pain intensity was associated with higher medication intake. These results suggest that during the early stages of non-specific spinal pain chronification, pain acceptance and the avoidance of pain-related disability—understood as giving up normal activities—can lead to reductions in healthcare utilization and medication intake.

Keywords: pain acceptance; chronic pain; disability; healthcare utilization; medication intake; prospective study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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