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Odole A.1, Alegbeleye O.2
1University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, 2University of Ibadan, Department of Physiotherapy, Ibadan, Nigeria
Background: Non-specific neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal pain conditions which can result in chronic pain and prolonged physical disability. Psychosocial factors such as pain catastrophizing, kinesophobia and self-efficacy have been implicated as causes of chronic pain and physical disability in patients with neck pain.
Purpose: This study was aimed at investigating the association between clinical variables and psychosocial factors among patients with non-specific neck pain in south-western Nigeria.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey involved sixty-four (64) consecutively recruited patients attending physiotherapy out-patient clinics in secondary and tertiary hospitals of south-western Nigeria. Participants pain intensity and physical disability were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Neck Disability Index (NDI) respectively while pain catastrophizing, kinesophobia and self-efficacy were assessed using Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Tampa Scale for Kinesophobia (TSK) and Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) respectively. All questionnaires were self-administered. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics of t-test, Pearson moment correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression at α = 0.05.
Results: Participants were aged 51.69±14.54 years. Scores for pain catastrophizing (p= 0.963), kinesophobia (p=0.673) and self-efficacy (p=0.840) were not different between males and females. Age and duration of pain were not significantly correlated with pain catastrophizing, kinesophobia and self-efficacy. Pain intensity was significantly correlated with pain catastrophizing (r=0.324) while physical disability was significantly correlated with pain catastrophizing (r= 0.334), kinesophobia (r= 0.289) and self-efficacy
(r= -0.544). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that physical disability can be significantly predicted by self-efficacy (β= -0.477, R2 = 0.34) with 34% variance in physical disability.
Conclusion(s): Pain catastrophizing is directly associated with physical disability and pain intensity. While kinesophobia is directly associated with physical disability, self-efficacy shows an indirect association. Therefore as physical disability increases, pain catastrophizing and kinesophobia increases while self-efficacy decreases. Pain intensity increases concomitantly with pain catastrophizing. Self-efficacy may be a predictive marker for physical disability.
Implications: Assessment of psychosocial factors should be routinely included in the management of patients with non-specific neck pain by physiotherapists.
Funding acknowledgements: There was no funding for the study
Topic: Orthopaedics
Ethics approval: Ethical approval obtained from the University of Ibadan/ University College Hospital (UI/UCH) Health Research Ethics Committee
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
