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Quality of Life, Personality and Use of Pain Medication in Patients with Chronic Back Pain

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess whether the functional disability and the quality of life in patients with chronic back pain was associated with some personality traits and whether the use of pain medication in patients with chronic back pain can be predisposed with some personality traits. The study sample comprised 262 older patients with chronic back pain of non-inflammatory origin. The level of disability related to chronic back pain was assessed by Roland-Morris Questionnaire, health-related quality of life was assessed by Short Form 36 and personality traits by Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Among analyzed personality traits (psychoticism, extraversion, neuroticism, lie tendencies), only neuroticism significantly predicted self-reported disability caused by back pain. Patients on pain medication had significantly worse quality of life and disability caused by back pain, but they did not differ significantly in personality traits compared to patients without pain medication. There were no differences in disability due to back pain and in level of neuroticism between patients who had jobs with higher or lower physical demand. People with higher scores on neuroticism inclined more to report a lower functional disability and the quality of life caused by chronic back pain. Patients on pain medication reported more inferior physical than psychological concept of quality of life. Use of pain medication was not associated with personality traits assessed by Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. In our elderly patients with chronic back pain, lower quality of life was associated with elevated neuroticism score and more frequent use of pain medication.

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Acknowledgment

The study was supported by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sport; project No: 022-0222411-2409

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Environmental and Occupational Health, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, Zagreb, Croatia

    Selma Cvijetic & Jasminka Bobic

  2. Department of Rheumatology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, University Hospital “Sisters of Mercy”, Vinogradska cesta 29, Zagreb, Croatia

    Simeon Grazio & Tomislav Nemcic

  3. University of Applied Sciences “Lavoslav Ruzicka”, Zupanijska 50, Vukovar, Croatia

    Melita Uremovic

  4. Polyclinic Velika Gorica, Matice Hrvatske bb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Ladislav Krapac

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  1. Selma Cvijetic
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  2. Jasminka Bobic
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  3. Simeon Grazio
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  4. Melita Uremovic
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  5. Tomislav Nemcic
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  6. Ladislav Krapac
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Correspondence to Selma Cvijetic.

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Cvijetic, S., Bobic, J., Grazio, S. et al. Quality of Life, Personality and Use of Pain Medication in Patients with Chronic Back Pain. Applied Research Quality Life 9, 401–411 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-013-9219-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-013-9219-9

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