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Fear-avoidance beliefs are independently associated with the prevalence of chronic pain in Japanese workers

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Abstract

Purpose

Pain is a global public health problem with implications for both personal and social heath. Fear-avoidance beliefs (FABs) have been demonstrated to negatively impact and prolong pain in many Western countries, but little is known about the association between FABs and chronic pain (CP) in Asian countries, including Japan. We examined the relationship between FABs and CP in Japanese white-collar workers, a growing population with a high prevalence of CP.

Methods

Questionnaires and company records were used to gather data from 433 Japanese white-collar workers. Data were related to experience of pain, participant sociodemographic/health/lifestyle characteristics, fear-avoidance beliefs [Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK)], work-related psychosocial factors (Brief Job Stress Questionnaire), and depressive illness [Psychological Distress Scale (K6)]. Analysis of covariance and multilevel logistic regression modeling were used to analyze associations between the data while controlling for factors known to influence CP prevalence.

Results

Prevalence rate of CP was 11.1% (48 of 433 persons). Adjusted odds ratios for participants with CP significantly increased in participants with high TSK scores, even after adjusting for factors known to influence CP prevalence.

Conclusion

We found a significant association between high TSK scores and CP in Japanese white-collar workers when controlling for other known factors that influence CP such as work-related psychosocial characteristics and depressive conditions. This finding suggests that FABs are independently associated with prevalence of CP.

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Acknowledgements

This research is partially supported by a grant for The Research Project on Elucidation of Chronic Pain from Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, AMED (16ek0610004h0003). Kenta Wakaizumi is supported as a research assistant in part by a Grant-in-Aid for the Program for Leading Graduate School for “Science for Development of Super Mature Society” from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science, and Technology in Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35, Shinanomachi, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan

    Kenta Wakaizumi, Shizuko Kosugi & Hiroshi Morisaki

  2. Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita-Shi, Osaka, Japan

    Keiko Yamada

  3. Center for Pain Management, Osaka University Hospital, Suita-Shi, Osaka, Japan

    Keiko Yamada & Masahiko Shibata

  4. Department of Medical Research and Management for Musculoskeletal Pain, 22nd Century Medical and Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Hiroyuki Oka & Ko Matsudaira

  5. Department of Pain Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita-Shi, Osaka, Japan

    Masahiko Shibata

Authors
  1. Kenta Wakaizumi
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Correspondence to Kenta Wakaizumi.

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Wakaizumi, K., Yamada, K., Oka, H. et al. Fear-avoidance beliefs are independently associated with the prevalence of chronic pain in Japanese workers. J Anesth 31, 255–262 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-016-2303-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-016-2303-1

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