Somatic and psychosocial determinants of symptom severity and quality of life in male and female patients with chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

AIMS: To investigate the combined impact of somatic and psychosocial factors on symptom severity and physical and mental quality of life (QoL) in male and female patients with chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS). METHODS: We examined 234 patients aged 18 to 84 years attending an interdisciplinary outpatient clinic for patients with CPPS in Hamburg, Germany. Using self-reports, we assessed CPPS symptom severity (NIH-CPSI), with the female counterpart of each male anatomical site used in the questionnaire for women; physical and mental QoL (SF-12) as well as symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7); pain catastrophizing cognitions (PCS); social support (F-SozU) and medication intake. The presence of trigger and tender points was assessed in a physiotherapy examination. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was calculated to analyze the contribution of somatic and psychosocial variables on CPPS symptom severity. Analyses were repeated with physical and mental QoL as outcomes. RESULTS: In the overall model, the intake of pain medication (B = 3.78, SE = 1.25, p = .006), the presence of depressive symptoms (B = 0.40, SE = 0.15, p = .01) and pain catastrophizing (B = 0.18, SE = 0.05, p = .001) significantly predicted CPPS symptom severity. Corresponding analyses revealed a differential pattern of factors predicting physical and mental QoL, whereas higher levels of depressive symptoms were consistently associated with diminished mental (B = -0.63; p < .001) and physical QoL (B = -0.85; p < .001). CONCLUSION: Present results emphasize the importance of psychosocial factors, in particular of depression, in CPPS symptom severity and both physical and mental QoL and give support to an integrated treatment concept encompassing both psychological support and somatic aspects of the disease.