Chronic Pain Patients—Effects on Mental Health and Pain After a 57-Week Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Program

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a common health complaint in Norway and constitutes the largest proportion in terms of those who suffer long-term sickness and are in receipt of disability pensions. The aim of this study was to examine the relation between changes in pain and mental health among men and women with chronic musculoskeletal pain after a rehabilitation program. A total of 201 subjects (132 women and 63 men) with chronic pain (>6 months) and without any manifest organic diseases were referred to the 57-week multidisciplinary rehabilitation program. Measurements of pain (visual analog scale) and mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]), as well as sociodemographic data, were obtained before and after the rehabilitation period. At baseline, men showed higher HADS scores than women. Both women and men reported significant improvements in pain and mental health. The subjects scored higher on HADS both before and after the rehabilitation compared with a population-based study in the region. Older men and men with low education levels showed less improvement in HADS scores. In women, a significant association was found between change in pain and both change in anxiety and change in depression. The results support the hypothesis that there may be a strong association between change in chronic pain and psychologic factors, but there were gender differences.