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Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Low Back Pain Treated in a Pain Rehabilitation Program

Rispinto, Sarah C
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1409235938

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, College of Education and Human Services.
The study utilized an individual change model to investigate the effectiveness of a chronic pain rehabilitation program at treating pain, mood (depression, anxiety, and stress), and function for chronic low back pain patients. This retrospective study consisted of a sample of 621 patients with a chronic low back pain diagnosis who completed an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program. The outcomes of pain, mood and function were assessed at four waves including admission, discharge, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups using established instruments. The Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS) by Lovibond and Lovibond (1995a) was used to assess patients’ self-reported levels of depression, anxiety and stress during the time period. The Pain Disability Index (PDI; Tait, Chibnall & Krause, 1990) assessed pain-related disability in several areas of functioning including: family/home functioning, recreational functioning, social functioning, occupational functioning, sexual functioning, self-care functioning, and life support functioning. Finally, a self-report Likert scale was used to determine patients’ self-reported levels of pain on a 0-10 point scale. Individual characteristics including age, gender, support, working status, and disability compensation status were also used as predictor variables. The study found that, regardless of patient characteristics or circumstance, treatment in an interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program was effective at improving patients’ moods, increasing their levels of functioning, and improving their perceptions of pain. Patients entered the program with pain conditions significantly different from zero, suggesting discomfort at admission. In addition, patients’ rates of change were statistically significant, showing improvements in pain mood and functioning during the period under study. The results from this dissertation study support the extant literature that interdisciplinary treatment is effective. Specifically, the results show not only statistical significance in terms of individual change, but also translate to clinical significance. Psychologists play a vital role in understanding and treating low back pain. Patients with chronic low back pain improved their levels of pain, mood and function during the time period under study. Of importance, this dissertation study was one of the first to examine pain, mood and function of individuals living with chronic low back pain treated in a rehabilitation program utilizing an individual change model. Although a limitation of the study is the lack of a control group, individual change modeling utilizes each patient as their own control. Future research would benefit from focusing on individual change in patients living with chronic conditions, in addition to, analyzing individual change in low back pain patients in comparison to various chronic pain conditions.
Sarah Toman, PhD (Committee Chair)
Joshua Bagaka's, PhD (Committee Member)
Kathryn MacCluskie, EdD (Committee Member)
Judith Scheman, PhD (Committee Member)
138 p.
Counseling Psychology
chronic pain; low back pain; interndisciplinary treatment; rehabilitation; mood; function

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rispinto, S. C. (2014). Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Low Back Pain Treated in a Pain Rehabilitation Program [Doctoral dissertation, Cleveland State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1409235938

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rispinto, Sarah. Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Low Back Pain Treated in a Pain Rehabilitation Program. 2014. Cleveland State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1409235938.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rispinto, Sarah. "Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Low Back Pain Treated in a Pain Rehabilitation Program." Doctoral dissertation, Cleveland State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1409235938

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

csu1409235938
396
© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Cleveland State University and OhioLINK.