Table 2.
Socio-demographic data and pain profile for study sample at PMP entry (n = 792). Please note: values represent frequency (percentage) unless otherwise stated.
| Age (mean) | 46.5 (SD = 11.6 years; range: 18–85) |
| Male/female | 241 (30.4%)/551 (69.6%) |
| Marital status | |
| Single | 169 (21.3%) |
| Wife/husband or partner | 497 (62.8%) |
| Separated or divorced | 112 (14.1%) |
| Widowed | 14 (1.8%) |
| Employment status | |
| Employed/student | 237 (30.0%) |
| Unemployed | 472 (59.7% |
| Retired/home duties | 82 (10.4%) |
| Chronicity (mean number of years) | 11.8 (SD = 9.9 years; range: 1–63) |
| Pain for more than 3 years | 707 (89.3%) |
| Main area of pain | |
| Head or face | 31 (3.9%) |
| Neck | 116 (14.6%) |
| Shoulders, hands or arms | 73 (9.2% |
| Chest or throat | 12 (1.5%) |
| Low back or buttocks | 397 (50.1%) |
| Hips, legs or feet | 92 (11.6%) |
| Abdomen | 27 (3.4%) |
| Pelvis | 12 (1.5%) |
| Rectum/vagina | 11 (1.4%) |
| Widespread (no primary site) | 21 (2.7%) |
| How pain began | |
| Accident (not at work) | 186 (23.8%) |
| Accident at work | 78 (10.0%) |
| At work, but not accident | 42 (5.4%) |
| Illness | 56 (7.2%) |
| Following surgery | 61 (7.8%) |
| No precipitating cause | 307 (39.4%) |
| Other (e.g. childbirth, assault) | 50 (6.4%) |
| Medication at admission | 701 (88.5%) |
| Two or more classes | 539 (68.1%) |
| Opioids | 501 (63.3%) |
| Antidepressants | 407 (51.4%) |
| NSAIDs | 380 (48.0%) |
| Tranquilizers | 113 (14.3%) |
| Other pain medication | 331 (42.2%) |
NSAIDs: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Information on employment status was not available for one patient; information on how pain began was not available for 12 patients; information about medication was not available or not recorded at pre-treatment for nine patients; all percentages were calculated from samples that included only patients for which data were available.