371: How Does Pain-Related Distress Change in the Transition from Acute to Chronic Pain?

Topic: Clinical Science
Subtopic: Pain category (ICD-11), Acute musculoskeletal pain, Psychology

Background and Aims: Musculoskeletal pain is extremely common, and distress is frequently experienced alongside it. There has been little research exploring the experience of pain-related distress for people at the onset of pain, how pain-related distress may change over time, or what predicts pain-related distress. This is important as psychological factors are known risk factors for the transition from acute to chronic pain.
This study aimed to explore how pain-related distress changes over time in people experiencing acute musculoskeletal pain, and what predicts these changes.

Methods: This study employed a mixed methods approach. Firstly, secondary analysis was undertaken on a dataset of 512 people who had consulted their GP for musculoskeletal pain with a duration of ≤6 months. Data were managed in STATA and analysed using linear mixed models. Secondly, people who had reported experiencing acute musculoskeletal pain for a study three years ago were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews to explore how their pain and mood had changed over time. These interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Ethical approval was given by the University of Southampton.

Results: Analysis showed that for people whose pain maintained or worsened, distress also worsened significantly. Pain intensity and kinesiophobia at baseline significantly predicted worse pain-related distress scores at six months. Interviews revealed that for those whose pain maintained, if adaptations could be found then distress was lower. Participants with higher distress scores discussed the relentlessness of pain as the main contributing factor. For those with worsening pain, distress changed in the transition from acute to chronic pain – first it centered on the immediate impact and the pain itself, then it became resignation, loss of hope, and a loss of identity.

Conclusions: Understanding how pain-related distress changes over time is integral to providing effective and holistic care for people with pain. The results from this study enable healthcare professionals to deliver more personal care by addressing and managing pain-related distress and its antecedents, meaning that people with pain will receive treatments relevant to them, leading to increased wellbeing.

References: N/A

Presenting Author: Hollie Birkinshaw
Submitting Author: Hollie Birkinshaw

Senior Author: Hollie Birkinshaw

IASP 2026 Global Year theme of Neuropathic Pain: No

• Beth Stuart - Queen Mary, University of London
• Jonathan Hill - Keele University
• Hazel Everitt - University of Southampton
• Tamar Pincus - University of Southampton
• Adam W A Geraghty - University of Southampton