Pain complaints in a sample of psychiatric inpatients

Greggersen, Wiebke; Rudolf, Sebastian; Findel, Corinna; Burow, Juliane; Stoll, Anne; Ristow, Jessica; Fassbinder, Eva; Oltmanns, Kerstin M.; Kahl, Kai G.; Hohagen, Fritz; Hüppe, Michael; Schweiger, Ulrich

doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.07.003

« Previous Next »General Hospital Psychiatry
Volume 32, Issue 5 , Pages 509-513, September 2010

Pain complaints in a sample of psychiatric inpatients☆

Wiebke Greggersen, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
- Corresponding author. Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universität zu Lübeck, 23538 Lübeck, Germany. Tel.: +49 (0) 451 5003481; fax: +49 (0) 451 5006198.
Sebastian Rudolf, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Corinna Findel, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Juliane Burow, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Anne Stoll, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Jessica Ristow, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Eva Fassbinder, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Kerstin M. Oltmanns, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Kai G. Kahl, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, MHH Hannover, 30625 Hannover, Germany
Fritz Hohagen, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Michael Hüppe, M.D.
- Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany
Ulrich Schweiger, M.D.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany

Received 15 May 2010; accepted 9 July 2010. published online 01 September 2010.

Abstract

Objective

We examined the prevalence of pain and pain severity in a sample of psychiatric inpatients. Currently, scant information exists about which patient groups are most affected by pain.

Methods

Pain was assessed in 416 psychiatric inpatients using the brief pain inventory. Patients were characterized by applying DSM-IV criteria and obtaining self-reports of adverse childhood experiences.

Results

Of psychiatric inpatients, 31.0% reported having substantial pain. Women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had the highest prevalence of substantial pain among all psychiatric inpatients and a significantly higher rate compared to women without PTSD (49% vs. 28%, P=.02). Pain was significantly associated with adverse childhood experiences in both men and women.

Conclusion

Within a group of psychiatric inpatients, pain is associated with PTSD in women and with adverse childhood experiences in both men and women. Attention should therefore be paid towards such high-risk groups and the consequences that the pain might entail for physical and mental health.

Keywords: Mental disorders, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Brief Pain Inventory