The following is a summary of “Profiles of Trauma Exposure Type and Its Associations With Pain-Related Outcomes Among Adults With Chronic Pain: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study,” published in the June 2024 issue of Pain by Ravyts et al.

Individuals with chronic pain report a higher rate of trauma, but the impact of different trauma types (e.g., sexual, accidental) on pain outcomes remains unclear. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study categorizing individuals with chronic pain by trauma type and examining if the subgroups vary in pain characteristics over 2 years.

They involved 1,451 participants with chronic pain who completed online self-report questionnaires at baseline and 3, 12, and 24-month intervals. The study assessed trauma history using the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, pain intensity and interference using the Brief Pain Inventory, and pain distribution using the Widespread Pain Index. Latent class analysis was employed to identify subgroups based on trauma experiences, resulting in 3 distinct groups, individuals with high and varied trauma (16.3%), participants with high exposure to sexual trauma (18.4%), and a group with low levels of trauma or primarily accidental trauma (57.1%). The remaining participants (8.2%) reported no history of trauma.

The result showed that after adjusting for demographics and baseline pain, the highly diverse trauma group showed a significant increase in pain severity and interference at 3 and 12 months compared to the group with no trauma history (P<.01). Additionally, compared to the no trauma group, participants in the high sexual trauma group specifically reported more significant pain interference and a more extensive pain distribution at the 3-month follow-up (P<.05).

Investigators concluded that robust trauma screening was essential for managing chronic pain, emphasizing the critical role of trauma type and extent in influencing pain-related outcomes.

Source: jpain.org/article/S1526-5900(24)00562-5/abstract#%20