The effect of depression on pain perception in patients with chronic low back pain; a structured literature review.
Item
- Title
- The effect of depression on pain perception in patients with chronic low back pain; a structured literature review.
- Author(s)
- Jarrett, R
- Abstract
- Background: Chronic low back pain is a common presenting condition in manual therapy settings and it’s link to depression has been highlighted extensively by previous literature. However the link between the two and the effect depression has on the patient’s pain perception, is lesser well known. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate and critically evaluate the correlation of patients suffering from both chronic pain and depression and how this impacts the perception of the patient’s pain levels. Design: Structured literature review. Methods: A systematic search utilizing the relative search terms was conducted on the PubMed, Cochrane Library and Research gate databases for appropriate research published between 2012 and 2019. 302 studies were found and this total was subject to filtering with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. This produced 7 eligible studies, which were summarized in a table form and critically evaluated using the Downs and Black (2008) quality assessment checklist. Results: 3 of the 7 studies reviewed showed that increased pain intensity is linked to depression in CLBP patients, whilst another two reported that pain severity is correlated to greater levels of depression. One study noted that CLBP patients experiencing pain persisting through anaesthesia and analgesic interventions may be rooted in the comorbid psychiatric disorders, including depression, commonly experienced in CLBP. The majority of these studies recommended that a multidisciplinary approach be taken to the treatment and management of CLBP, addressing psychological aspects in addition to somatic presentations. Discussion: 7 studies met the inclusion criteria and all studies evaluated depression and pain levels. 3 of the 7 studies reviewed showed that increased pain intensity is linked to depression in CLBP patients, whilst another two reported that pain severity is correlated to greater levels of depression. One study noted that CLBP patients experiencing pain persisting through anesthesia and analgesic interventions may be rooted in the comorbid psychiatric disorders, including depression, commonly experienced in CLBP. The majority of these studies recommended that a multidisciplinary approach be taken to the treatment and management of CLBP, addressing psychological aspects in addition to merely physical. This inconsistency in evaluation methods was thought to be caused by the cultural diversity of the studies, with each favoring the most popular measure utilized in each country. Conclusion: This study has found a common trend within literature observing a correlation between pain intensity and depression in patients with CLBP. However, further research using more uniform methods of analysis is required in order to make data more readily available.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2019
- Date Submitted
- 19.11.2019 18:31:09
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16503
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- chronic pain, depression, pain intensity, pain perception
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Jarrett, R, “The effect of depression on pain perception in patients with chronic low back pain; a structured literature review.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.org/s/orw/item/326