Health Factors Affecting Quality of Life in People with and without Chronic Pain
Author Information
Author(s): Susann Arvidsson, Barbro Arvidsson, Bengt Fridlund, Stefan Bergman
Primary Institution: Research and Development Centre, Spenshult hospital for rheumatic diseases, Oskarström, Sweden
Hypothesis
What health factors are associated with health-related quality of life in individuals with and without chronic musculoskeletal pain over an eight-year period?
Conclusion
Feeling rested after sleep is the most important health factor for both groups, along with emotional support and good sleep structure.
Supporting Evidence
- Subjects without chronic pain reported better health-related quality of life than those with chronic pain.
- Feeling rested after sleep was consistently associated with better health outcomes.
- Emotional support and good sleep structure were also important for health-related quality of life.
Takeaway
If you feel rested after sleeping, you're likely to be healthier, whether you have pain or not. Other things like having friends to help you and sleeping well also matter.
Methodology
Longitudinal study with postal questionnaires at baseline and follow-up, assessing health-related quality of life using the SF-36.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to non-responders being more likely to have chronic pain.
Limitations
The study did not account for changes in pain status over the eight years.
Participant Demographics
Predominantly women (61% with chronic pain, 52% without); mean age 50.3 for chronic pain group and 44.6 for non-pain group.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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