The influence of psychological factors on low back pain-related disability in community dwelling older persons
From: Pain Med. 2008 Oct;9(7):871-80.
To assess the influence of fear avoidance beliefs and catastrophizing on low back pain related disability in Spanish community dwelling retirees. Correlation between variables measured with previously validated instruments. Majorca, Spain: 1,044 community dwelling subjects attending conferences for retired persons. Visual analog scales for low back pain and pain referred to the leg, Roland Morris Questionnaire (RMQ) for disability, FAB-Phys questionnaire (FABQ) for fear avoidance beliefs, and the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) for catastrophizing.
In subjects without clinically relevant low back pain, fear avoidance beliefs correlated moderately with catastrophizing and disability, and weakly with pain referred to the leg and low back pain. In subjects with low back pain, fear avoidance beliefs correlated moderately with catastrophizing and disability, and weakly with pain referred to the leg , but not with low back pain. Correlations among CSQ, FABQ, and RMQ were similar in subjects with and without current low back pain. In regression models, the coefficient for effect of fear avoidance beliefs on disability was 0.14 for participants with no low back pain, and 0.28 for those with pain. Corresponding values for catastrophizing were 0.17 and 0.19. In Spanish community dwelling retirees, the influence of fear avoidance beliefs and catastrophizing on low back pain related disability is clinically small.
