Objectives Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative musculoskeletal disease that causes articular damage and chronic pain, with a prevalence of up to 50% in individuals >60 years of age. Patients suffering from chronic painful conditions, including OA, also frequently report anxiety or depression. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to assess the correlation between pain severity and depressive and anxious symptomatology in OA patients. Methods A systematic search was conducted using four databases (PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science) from inception up to 14th January of 2020. We included original articles evaluating pain severity and anxiety and/or depression severity in OA-diagnosed patients. Detailed data were extracted from each study, including patients’ characteristics and pain, anxiety, and depression severity. When available, the Pearson correlation coefficient between pain and depression severity and pain and anxiety severity was collected and a meta-analysis of random effects was applied. Results This systematic review included 121 studies, with a total of 38085 participants. The mean age was 64.3 years old and subjects were predominantly female (63%). The most used scale to evaluate pain severity was the Western Ontario and the McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, while for anxiety and depression, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was the most used. The meta-analysis showed a moderate positive correlation between pain severity and both anxious (r = 0.31, p < 0.001) and depressive symptomatology (r = 0.36, p < 0.001). Conclusions Our results demonstrate a significant correlation between pain and depression/anxiety severity in OA patients, highlighting the need for its routine evaluation by clinicians.

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) can be useful to identify high-risk patients for the development of chronic postsurgical pain. This systematic review aims to assess if presurgical sensory sensitivity measured using QST is associated with acute and chronic postsurgical pain after total joint arthroplasty. A systematic search was performed in September 2020 in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus, using terms related to total joint arthroplasty and QST. Prospective studies were included if they reported an association between presurgical QST and postsurgical pain in adults with osteoarthritis undergoing primary unilateral total joint arthroplasty. From 2994 identified studies, 18 met the inclusion criteria (1869 patients). Total knee arthroplasty was the most common surgery (16 studies), and pressure pain threshold was the most common test (11 studies), followed by dynamic measures (9 studies). Postsurgical pain was assessed at acute (5 studies), subacute (2 studies), and chronic (13 studies) time points. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool and evaluated as low to moderate in most domains. Fourteen studies reported at least one statistically significant association between QST and pain (acute: 4 studies, subacute: 1 study, and chronic: 9 studies). Pressure pain threshold was associated with postsurgical pain in 6 studies (of 11, 55%), heat pain threshold in 2 studies (of 6, 33%), conditioned pain modulation in 1 study (of 6, 17%), and temporal summation of pain in 5 studies (of 8, 63%). The predictive role of presurgical QST for postarthroplasty pain remains unclear, mainly because of heterogeneous methodologies and inconsistent results.

This work presents and discusses the psychometric characteristics of the Portuguese version of The Survey of Student Needs (SSN), a self-report questionnaire that assesses psychological intervention needs. A total of 659 university students participated, 76.5% women, with a mean age of 21.96 years. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) report a factorial solution of three factors explaining 38.49% of the variance. Considering the internal consistency of this factorial structure, Cronbach's alpha values of .88 were found in factor 1, .81 in factor 2, and .84 in factor 3. The results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) suggest that the factorial solution proposed by the EFA presents better fit indices to the empirical data when compared to three alternative models (X2/df = 3.096, CFI = .842, GFI = .851, RMSEA = .056, P[rmsea ≤ .05] < .000). In conclusion, this study indicates that the SSN is a valid and reliable instrument applicable to the research and intervention contexts of this field.Keywords: psychological needs; needs assessment; higher education; psychometrics Resumen Este trabajo presenta y analiza las características psicométricas de la versión en portugués de la Encuesta de Necesidades Estudiantiles (SSN), un cuestionario de autoinforme que evalúa las necesidades de intervención psicológica. Un total de 659 estudiantes universitarios participaron, 76.5% mujeres, con una edad media de 21.96 años. Los resultados de Análisis Factorial Exploratorio (AFE) informan una solución factorial de tres factores que explican el 38.49% de la varianza. Teniendo en cuenta la consistencia interna de esta estructura factorial, encontramos los valores alfa de Cronbach de .88 en el factor 1, .81 en el factor 2 y .84 en el factor 3. Los resultados del Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio (CFA) sugieren que la solución factorial propuesta Por la EFA presenta mejores índices de ajuste a los datos empíricos en comparación con tres modelos alternativos (X 2 / df = 3.096, CFI = .842, GFI = .851, RMSEA = .056, p [rmsea ≤ .05] < .000). En conclusión, este estudio indica que el SSN es un instrumento válido y confiable aplicable a los contextos de investigación e intervención en este campo.Palabras clave: necesidades psicológicas; evaluación de las necesidades; educación universitaria; psicometría

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Catastrophization and social support influence health outcomes in people with chronic pain. However, there is still no consensus regarding the relationship between these factors, and the information available in what relates to chronic pain in the knee joint is even scarcer. The objective of this study was to describe and understand the relationship between the perceived social support and pain catastrophization in adults with chronic knee pain. METHODS: Sociodemographic data were collected, and the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory and Pain Catastrophizing Scale were completed by the participants. The sample included 28 participants attending daycare institutions in Aveiro, Braga and Leiria districts (Portugal). RESULTS: Seventy-five percent of the participants presented clinically significant catastrophization, and 64.3% reported high perceived social support. There is a direct relationship between high catastrophization and frequent solicitations and distraction responses. Conversely, an inverse association between high catastrophization levels and infrequent negative responses was observed in the collected sample. CONCLUSION: Useful social support contributes to a maladaptive response to pain by increasing catastrophization levels, and the catastrophic response may be a way to ask for support. There is a direct association between the perceived social support and the catastrophization of chronic knee pain in the participants. However, the association between these variables was Relationship between the perceived social support and catastrophization in individuals with chronic knee pain Relação entre suporte social percebido e catastrofização em indivíduos com dor crônica do joelho

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