Psychology

Prior research supports the validity and short-term test-retest stability of four commonly used scales for assessing pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS], Verbal Rating Scale [VRS-6], 0-10 Numerical Rating Scale [NRS-11], and Face Pain Scale-Revised [FPS-R]). However, the relative stability and ability of these measures to detect changes in pain intensity over longer time periods has not yet been examined, although knowledge regarding these psychometric issues is important for selecting from among these measures. To address this knowledge gap, we administered these scales assessing worst and average pain intensity to 250 chronic pain outpatients on two occasions, four weeks apart. All four scales were found to be valid for detecting decreases in pain, and the VAS, NRS-11, and FPS-R evidenced the most validity for detecting increases in pain. The NRS-11 and VAS evidenced better test-retest stability than the VRS-6 and FPS-R. Age affected the ability of the VRS-6 for detecting improvement in worst pain, as well as the ability of the VAS for detecting worsening in both worst and average pain. However, the psychometric properties of the scales were not influenced by education level. Overall, the NRS-11 emerged as showing the most sensitivity and stability. The FPS-R appears to be a good second choice to consider for samples of individuals who might have difficulty understanding or using the NRS-11.

To (i) determine the one-year estimate of recurrence of low back pain (LBP) in a cohort of people presenting to emergency departments who have recently recovered from an episode of acute LBP in a middle-income country, (ii) estimate a recurrence of LBP stratified by the STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST), and (iii) determine prognostic factors for recurrence of LBP.

School anxiety is a prevalent mental health concern that drives school-related disability among youth with chronic pain. The only available measure of school anxiety-the School Anxiety Inventory, Short Version (SAI-SV)-lacks content specificity for measuring school anxiety in pediatric pain populations. We aimed to refine the SAI-SV by obtaining qualitative data about unique school situations that are anxiety-provoking for youth with pain and characterizing the nature of symptoms experienced in these situations.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been utilized for more than 50 years to treat refractory neuropathic pain. Currently, SCS systems with fully implantable pulse generators (IPGs) represent the standard. New wireless extracorporeal SCS (wSCS) devices without IPGs promise higher levels of comfort and convenience for patients. However, to date there are no studies on how charging and using this wSCS system affects patients and their therapy. This study is the first questionnaire-based survey on this topic focusing on patient experience. The trial was a single arm, open-label and mono-centric phase IV study. Standardized questionnaires were sent to all patients with a wSCS device in use at the time of trial. The primary endpoint was the convenience of the charging and wearing process scored on an ordinal scale from "very hard" (1) to "very easy" (5). Secondary endpoints included time needed for charging, the duration of stimulation per day and complication rates. Questionnaires of 6 out of 9 patients were returned and eligible for data analysis. The mean age of patients was 61.3 ± 6.7 (± SD) years. The duration of therapy was 20.3 ± 15.9 months (mean ± SD). The mean duration of daily stimulation was 17 ± 5.9 h (mean ± SD). n = 5 patients rated the overall convenience as "easy" (4) and n = 3 patients evaluated the effort of the charging process and wearing of the wSCS device as "low" (4). n = 5 patients considered the wearing and charging process as active participation in their therapy. n = 5 patients would choose an extracorporeal device again over a conventional SCS system. Early or late surgical complications did not occur in this patient collective. Overall, patients felt confident using extracorporeal wSCS devices without any complications. Effort to maintain therapy with this system was rated as low.

This systematic review aimed to investigate variations of reference scores for the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) between language versions and between countries in patients with chronic primary pain (CPP) or chronic primary pain, not otherwise specified (CPP-NOS).

There are notable health disparities and inequities in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and geography. This review will evaluate these disparities and inequities and assess the social determinants of health that drive outcomes for post-traumatic headache. Interventions for achieving this are also discussed.

Chronic pain has a massive personal and socioeconomic impact and remains a challenge for many clinicians around the world […].