Pain Catastrophizing, Perceived Pain Disability, and Pain Descriptors in Veterans: The Association With Neuropsychological Performance

This study examined neuropsychological performance in relation to specific aspects of pain. Pain catastrophizing, pain disability, and sensory, affective, and evaluative descriptors of pain were examined in relation to neuropsychological test performance to understand the relationship between chronic pain and altered cognitive function. Diagnostic interviews, symptoms measures, and neuropsychological testing were completed with veteran participants to examine pain conditions and objective neuropsychological performance. Participants completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR, clinician-rated symptom measures (Hamilton Depression and Hamilton Anxiety rating scales), and a neuropsychological battery (Controlled Oral Word Association test, Stroop, Trail Making Test, Ruff 2 & 7, and California Verbal Learning Test, 2nd edition). Pain was measured with the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Pain Disability Index, and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Findings revealed that learning and memory were associated with both pain catastrophizing and perceived pain disability, but not affective or evaluative descriptions of pain. Executive function and attention were not related to any of the pain characteristics examined in this study. Of important note, neuropsychological performance was not related to mental health functioning in this veteran sample. These findings suggest that separate from anxiety and depression, learning and memory specifically are influenced by pain-specific catastrophizing as well as pain-specific perceived disability. Understanding the cognitive mechanism associated with chronic pain and neuropsychological performance may result in new treatment targets.