Sexual Abuse and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Prevalence and Psychological Factors

Linton, Steven J.; Lardén, Martin; Gillow, Åsa-Mia

doi:10.1097/00002508-199609000-00009

Cited by 35 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Abused patients were found to report higher AD and lower LC on the MPI. These results are consistent with findings by Linton et al 23 and Spertus et al, 49 who found higher psychological distress, in terms of MPI AD and LC in abused pain patients. These authors concluded that exposures to traumatic events may alter patients' ability to manage their emotional responses to stressful circumstances, such as the stress of chronic pain.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Lifetime physical and sexual abuse in chronic pain patients: psychosocial correlates and treatment outcomes

Bailey¹,

Freedenfeld²,

Kiser³

et al. 2003

Disability and Rehabilitation

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Lifetime physical and sexual abuse in chronic pain patients: psychosocial correlates and treatment outcomes

Bailey¹,

Freedenfeld²,

Kiser³

et al. 2003

Disability and Rehabilitation

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“…Indeed, women who reported penetrative sexual abuse exhibited significantly more psychological distress than non‐abused women. These results are consistent with those derived from studies among chronic pain patients showing that sexually abused women presented higher levels of psychological distress compared with non‐abused women [21,23–26,44,47,48]. Our study design did not allow us to evaluate how much of the distress is independently explained by the presence of pain, sexual abuse history, or their combined effect.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

History of Sexual and Physical Abuse in Women with Dyspareunia: Association with Pain, Psychosocial Adjustment, and Sexual Functioning

Leclerc

Bergeron

Binik

et al. 2010

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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Aim Dyspareunia is a women’s sexual health problem that still often goes undiagnosed despite its high prevalence and its detrimental impact on sexual, relationship, and psychological adjustment. Although sexual and physical abuse may constitute risk factors for the development of dyspareunia, the effects of past abuse on current pain and associated sexual and psychosocial impairments have never been examined. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the relation between a history of sexual and physical abuse and a series of pain, psychological, dyadic, and sexual functioning variables in a sample of women with dyspareunia. Methods A hundred and fifty-one women took part in the study via health professional referrals and advertisements in local newspapers. Each participant underwent a standardized gynecological examination and a structured interview in order to confirm the diagnosis of dyspareunia. They also completed self-report questionnaires investigating past sexual and physical abuse, in addition to current pain, psychosocial adjustment, and sexual functioning. Dependent measures included: (i) The Brief Symptom Inventory; (ii) the Sexual History Form; and (iii) the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale. Pain was assessed via the McGill Pain Questionnaire and a visual analogue scale. Results Results revealed that a history of sexual abuse involving penetration was associated with poorer psychological adjustment and sexual functioning. Additionally, findings showed that women who perceived a link between their dyspareunia and their past sexual abuse reported worse sexual functioning than those who did not. Finally, the experience of sexual abuse was not associated with pain intensity and physical abuse was not associated with any of the outcome measures. Conclusions Findings suggest that the presence of a sexual abuse history in women with dyspareunia is associated with increased psychological distress and sexual impairment, although there is no relation between a history of physical abuse and these outcomes.

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“…2009). Sexually abused women with chronic musculoskeletal pain were found to have poorer scores than non‐abused ones on 27 of 29 variables (Linton et al . 1996, Linton 2002).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health problems and medically unexplained physical symptoms in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse: an integrative literature review

Nelson

Baldwin

Taylor

2011

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

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People sexually abused in childhood are at higher risk than non-abused people of medically unexplained symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome or chronic pain, with mental ill health and high healthcare use. Friction and frustration, with high, unproductive healthcare costs, can often develop between these patients and health-care professionals such as general practitioners and nursing staff. The aim of this integrative literature review was to seek a sound evidence base from which to develop helpful interventions, improve relationships and identify gaps in knowledge. It found some theories about interconnections among childhood sexual abuse mental health and medically unexplained symptoms, such as 'somatization' or 'secondary gain', were used prejudicially, stigmatizing survivors. Conflicting theories make more difficult the search for effective interventions. Researchers rarely collaborated with sexual abuse specialists. Emphasis on identifying key risk factors, rather than providing support or alleviating distress, and lack of studies where survivors voiced their own experiences, meant very few targeted interventions for this group were proposed. Recommendations to enable effective interventions include making abuse survivors the prime study focus; qualitative research with survivors, to assist doctors and nursing staff with sensitive care; case histories using medical records; prospective studies with sexually abused children; support for the growing field of neurobiological research.

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Sexual Abuse and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Prevalence and Psychological Factors

Abstract: These data extend the relationship between sexual abuse and pain to a Swedish population suffering from musculoskeletal complaints. Our findings suggest that intervention in the pain treatment setting may need to address further the problems of effective coping strategies and depression.

Cited by 35 publications

References 11 publications

Lifetime physical and sexual abuse in chronic pain patients: psychosocial correlates and treatment outcomes

Lifetime physical and sexual abuse in chronic pain patients: psychosocial correlates and treatment outcomes

History of Sexual and Physical Abuse in Women with Dyspareunia: Association with Pain, Psychosocial Adjustment, and Sexual Functioning

Mental health problems and medically unexplained physical symptoms in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse: an integrative literature review

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