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Pain complaints as risk factor for mental distress: a three-year follow-up study

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Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pain complaints at baseline and mental distress at follow-up. We included adolescents from two longitudinal studies of 18/19 years of age with two corresponding cross-sectional baseline studies at age 15/16. A total of 5750 were invited for the baseline study, and we have 3-year follow-up data for 3316 (57.8% follow-up rate). All information is based on self-report. The questions of pain are asking for severe pain the past year. Mental distress is measured by Hopkins Symptoms Check List (HSCL-10). Number of pain sites increased among girls and decreased among boys from baseline to follow-up. There was a cross-sectional dose–response association between number of pain sites and mental distress at both time points. Also, in the follow-up study, there was dose–response relationship between numbers of pain sites at baseline and mental distress at follow-up even after controlling for possible confounding factors. We found no effect of mental distress at baseline on pain reports at follow-up. There is a strong association between pain at 15/16 years and mental distress at 18/19 years of age. Clinicians should therefore take pain complaints among adolescents seriously and be aware of comorbid and later development of mental health problems.

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Acknowledgments

The data collection for both the baseline and follow-up studies were carried out and funded by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University of Oslo. In addition, the Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway contributed to the funding of the follow-up study and the Municipality of Oslo to the baseline study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo, Blindern, Box 1130, 0318, Oslo, Norway

    Lars Lien

  2. DPS Hamar, Hospital Innlandet HF, Hamar, Norway

    Lars Lien

  3. Department of Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Kristian Green

  4. Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Magne Thoresen

  5. Department of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Espen Bjertness

  6. Tibet University Medical College, Lhasa, Tibet

    Espen Bjertness

Authors
  1. Lars Lien
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  2. Kristian Green
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  3. Magne Thoresen
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  4. Espen Bjertness
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Correspondence to Lars Lien.

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Lien, L., Green, K., Thoresen, M. et al. Pain complaints as risk factor for mental distress: a three-year follow-up study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 20, 509–516 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-011-0211-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-011-0211-3

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