Contributions of four pain domains to the prediction of patient functioning and pain interference

ABSTRACT

Pain is a multidimensional experience that can vary in intensity, quality and spatial and temporal characteristics. Although there is a great deal of research supporting the importance of pain intensity as a correlate of patient functioning, there is a lack of research examining the importance of the other components of pain, especially the temporal domain. The purpose of this study was to advance the understanding of the role of four pain domains in predicting both pain interference and psychological functioning in a sample of patients with multiple sclerosis. The findings confirmed the significant association between pain intensity and measures of pain interference and psychological functioning, providing additional support for the importance of assessing pain intensity as a key component of chronic pain assessment. None of the other domains showed statistically significant associations with either of the criterion variables. However, we did find non-significant trends for pain temporal patterns to be associated with depressive symptoms. Specifically, there was a trend for patients reporting constant pain to report more depression than those reporting intermittent and variable pain. This suggests the possibility that the temporal pattern of pain may play a role in the impact of pain on depression; however, more research is needed to confirm this finding.