Pain catastrophizing and employment histories

摘要

Background: Studies examining pain catastrophizing and employment have had mixed findings. No study of pain catastrophizing has examined its relationship to lifetime employment status in a general clinical population. Aims: To examine pain catastrophizing in relationship to lifetime employment functioning in a sample of US primary care patients (rather than injured workers). Methods: A cross-sectional anonymous self-report survey of consecutive adults in a US internal medicine outpatient clinic. We assessed pain catastrophizing using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and employment histories using a four-item author-developed measure. Results: There were 239 participants and an initial participation rate of 70. While pain catastrophizing was not related to the number of different full-time jobs held or the percentage of time employed in adulthood, pain catastrophizing was statistically significantly associated with ever having been paid 'under the table' F(1,236) = 27.89, P < 0.001 and ever having been fired from a job F(1,237) = 50.78, P < 0.001, as well as with not getting along with fellow employees F(1,60) = 7.48, P < 0.01. Conclusions: In this clinical sample, pain catastrophizing demonstrated varying relationships with different aspects of lifetime employment, rather than exerting an overall global effect on employment.