Shaped by your childhood: Adult chronic pain in relation to psychological trauma in childhood

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Chronic pain is a health problem that is one of leading cause of disability. Studies have shown that various aspects of a person's history, such as difficult experiences in early life, can affect lifestyle and health later. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between chronic pain, adverse childhood experience (ACE) and violence in adulthood in the general population of Iceland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study. The sample was 12.400 individuals, 18-80 years of age, randomly selected from respondents' group of the data collection company MASKINA (National Portal). Data on chronic pain, ACE and experience of violence in adulthood were examined. Statistical processing was carried out in IBM SPSS Statistics 28th edition. RESULTS: Response rate was 44.8% (female 57.1%, M=56 years). Prevalence of chronic pain (≥3 months) was 40.1%. A total of 91.1% of participants answered questions about ACE, of which 16.1% ≥4 ACE-scores. There was a positive relationship between ACE and chronic pain (OR = 1.675, 95% CI: 1.420 - 1.977). Those who had ≥4 ACE-scores were more likely to have experienced violence in adulthood. CSONCLUSION: The results of this study show that chronic pain and violence in adulthood can be associated with psychological childhood trauma. People who experience psychological childhood trauma and violence in adulthood are more likely to suffer from chronic pain. It is important to be aware of experiences of childhood psychological trauma and violence when people seek healthcare for chronic pain.

The association between violence against women and chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The results show that women who have experienced violence during adulthood have 2 times greater odds of developing chronic pain. Our findings are consistent with reports that women experiencing violence have adverse health outcomes [18][19][20][21], and with other systematic reviews that associate some pain symptoms/ syndromes with some type of adult or childhood abuse [30][31][32][33][34]. Healthcare workers who treat women dealing with chronic pain should be aware that their patients may have experienced violence.…”

“…Several studies and systematic reviews have examined the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and chronic pain [ 31 , 32 ]. Additionally, some studies have investigated the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical health consequences [ 33 , 34 ].…”