Table 1.
Demographic and clinical baseline characteristics of the study groups.
| Group | CP (n = 17) | DC (n = 17) | HC (n = 17) | Group differences | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females (n) | 7 | 5 | 6 | ||
| M ± SD | M ± SD | M ± SD | |||
| Age (years) | 39.8 ± 13.7 | 38.2 ± 12.3 | 39.2 ± 13.7 | F (2, 48) = 0.060 | 0.942 |
| Onset of pain (years) | 4.9 ± 5.5 | N/A | N/A | ||
| Current pain intensityc | 4.7 ± 2.0* | 0.8 ± 1.4 | 0.1 ± 0.3 | F (2, 47) = 50.254 | <0.001 |
| Strongest pain intensity in the last 4 weeksc | 7.7 ± 1.8* | 3.1 ± 2.7 | 2.7 ± 2.0 | F (2, 47) = 27.979 | <0.001 |
| Depressive symptomsa | 13.1 ± 8.8 | 13.8 ± 8.5 | 1.4 ± 1.5* | F (2, 48) = 16.227 | <0.001 |
| Somatic symptomsb | 10.5 ± 4.5* | 5.0 ± 3.2 | 3.2 ± 2.3 | F (2, 47) = 19.765 | <0.001 |
| Current emotional burdenc | 4.6 ± 2.6 | 4.4 ± 2.7 | 1.7 ± 2.3* | F (2, 47) = 7.161 | 0.002 |
| Alexithymiad | 2.5 ± 0.6 | 2.4 ± 0.6 | 2.0 ± 0.4* | F (2, 45) = 3.224 | 0.049 |
CP, patients with a chronic pain disorder; DC, control participants with depressive symptoms; HC, healthy control participants.
aAssessed using the German version of the Beck Depression Inventory.
bAssessed using the German version of the Patient Health Questionnaire.
cAssessed using a visual analogue scale ranging from 0 to 10.
dAssessed using the German version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale 26 (n = 16 for HC and n = 15 for DC).
*Indicates the group that significantly differs from the other groups.