Table 1.
Demographic, chronic low back pain-related, and clinical characteristics of the study sample (N = 480).
| Variable* | Sample (N = 480) |
|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | |
| Gender, n (%) | |
| Female | 291 (60.6) |
| Male | 188 (39.0) |
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 58.7 (10.5) |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 15 (3.1) |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 422 (87.9) |
| Race, n (%) | |
| Black/African American | 39 (8.1) |
| White | 399 (83.1) |
| Other | 21 (4.4) |
| Education, n (%) | |
| No high school diploma | 10 (2.1) |
| High school graduate or GED | 59 (12.3) |
| Some college, no degree | 102 (21.2) |
| Occupational/technical/vocational program | 37 (7.7) |
| Associate degree: academic program | 73 (15.2) |
| Bachelor’s degree | 114 (23.7) |
| Master’s degree | 61 (12.7) |
| Doctoral degree | 20 (4.2) |
| Employment, n (%) | |
| Working now | 94 (19.5) |
| Unemployed | 29 (6.0) |
| Disabled | 208 (43.3) |
| Disabled due to back pain | 147 (30.6) |
| Retired | 109 (22.7) |
| Other (includes Other, Sick or maternity leave, Student, Keeping house) | 38 (7.9) |
| Back pain history and perception characteristics (NIH MD) | |
| CLBP duration, n (%) | |
| 3–6 mo | 3 (0.6) |
| 6 mo–1 yr | 6 (1.3) |
| 1–5 yr | 73 (15.2) |
| > 5 yr | 398 (82.9) |
| Prior treatments for back pain, Yes, n (%) | |
| Injections (e.g., epidural steroid, facet) | 395 (82.3) |
| Exercise therapy (physical therapy) | 447 (93.1) |
| Psychological counseling | 171 (35.6) |
| History of a low back operation, n (%) | |
| Yes | 214 (44.6) |
| One operation | 93 (19.4) |
| More than one operation | 121 (25.2) |
| No | 263 (55.09) |
| I feel that my back pain is terrible and it’s never going to get any better…, n (%) | |
| Agree | 231 (48.1) |
| Disagree | 236 (49.1) |
| It’s not really safe for a person with my back problem to be physically active…, n (%) | |
| Agree | 146 (30.4) |
| Disagree | 326 (67.9) |
| Clinical characteristics | |
| Average pain severity (BPI, 0-10 score), mean (SD) | 5.9 (1.5) |
| Function | |
| Pain interference (BPI, 0-10 score range), mean (SD) | 6.4 (1.8) |
| Back pain-related disability (ODI, 0-100 score range), mean (SD) | 47.4 (13.6) |
| Health-related quality of life (SF-12) | |
| Physical health composite score (0-100 range), mean (SD) | 28.6 (8.2) |
| Mental health composite score (0-100 range), mean (SD) | 42.8 (11.6) |
| Daily dose of prescribed opioids, past 14 days (TLFB, morphine-equivalent mg/d) | |
| Average daily dose, mean (SD) | 137.3 (520.0) |
| Average daily dose categories, n (%) | |
| 0 (no opioids) | 3 (0.6) |
| 0.1–50 morphine-equivalent mg/d | 279 (58.1) |
| 50–89 morphine-equivalent mg/d | 64 (13.3) |
| 90 + morphine-equivalent mg/d | 91 (18.9) |
| 200 + morphine-equivalent mg/d | 43 (8.9) |
| Opioid misuse risk (COMM) | |
| Total score (0–68 range), mean (SD) | 9.6 (6.9) |
| Positive screen (score 9+), n (%) | 226 (47.0) |
| Cigarette Smoking Status, n (%) | |
| Never smoked | 194 (40.4) |
| Used to smoke | 191 (39.7) |
| Current smoker | 91 (18.9) |
| Sleep quality (NIH MD), total score (0-20 range), mean (SD) | 10.3 (4.0) |
| Negative affect (HADS) | |
| Negative affect, total score (0–42 range), mean (SD) | 16.3 (7.5) |
| Anxiety subscale score (0–21 range), mean (SD) | 8.1 (4.4) |
| Depression subscale score (0–21 range), mean (SD) | 8.2 (4.0) |
| Pain catastrophizing (PCS), total score (0–52 range), mean (SD) | 20.2 (11.6) |
| Loneliness (UCLA LS) | |
| Total score (3–9 range), mean (SD) | 5.8 (2.1) |
| Positive screen (6 + points), n (%) | 270 (56.6) |
| Feeling loved (FLI) | |
| Feeling loved by others (0–100 score range), mean (SD) | 77.7 (25.7) |
| Loving yourself (0–100 score range), mean (SD) | 68.9 (28.0) |
| Healthcare utilization and productivity characteristics (HCUPS), past 6 months | |
| Hospitalized, Yes, # (%) | 84 (17.5) |
| Number of nights hospitalized (n = 84), mean (SD) | 7.8 (13.3) |
| ED visit, Yes, # (%) | 150 (31.3) |
| Number of ED visits (n = 150), mean (SD) | 2.5 (2.8) |
| Clinic visit (“regular” care, urgent care), Yes, # (%) | 404 (84.2) |
| Number of clinic visits (n = 404), mean (SD) | 9.0 (30.0) |
| Mental health care visit, Yes, # (%) | 170 (35.4) |
| Number of mental health care visits (n = 170), mean (SD) | 8.7 (9.2) |
| Addiction care visit, Yes, # (%) | 17 (3.5) |
| Number of addiction care visits (n = 17), number, mean (SD) | 8.3 (13.0) |
| Chores (school/house work) missed, Yes, # (%) | 305 (63.5) |
| Number of whole days of chores missed (n = 305), mean (SD) | 41.7 (48.8) |
| Whole workdays missed (among those “working now,” n = 93), Yes, # (%) | |
| Whole workdays missed, Yes, # (%) | 58 (62.4) |
| Number of whole workdays missed (n = 58), mean (SD) | 10.6 (26.5) |
BPI = Brief Pain Inventory, CLBP = Chronic Low Back Pain, COMM = Current Opioid Misuse Measure, FLI = Feeling Loved Instrument, HADS = Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, HCUPS = HealthCare Utilization and Productivity Survey, NIH MD = National Institutes of Health Minimal Data Set, PCS = Pain Catastrophizing Scale, SF-12 = 12-Item Short Form Health Survey, TLFB = Timeline Followback, UCLA LS = UCLA Loneliness Scale.
*
The frequencies/percentages in a given variable category may not total the sample size of 480 or 100% responses as some participants’ responses were unavailable (e.g., missing or marked as declined, unknown or unspecified).