Quality of Life, Personality and Use of Pain Medication in Patients with Chronic Back Pain

The aim of the study was to assess whether the functional disability and the quality of life in patients with chronic back pain was associated with some personality traits and whether the use of pain medication in patients with chronic back pain can be predisposed with some personality traits. The study sample comprised 262 older patients with chronic back pain of non-inflammatory origin. The level of disability related to chronic back pain was assessed by Roland-Morris Questionnaire, health-related quality of life was assessed by Short Form 36 and personality traits by Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Among analyzed personality traits (psychoticism, extraversion, neuroticism, lie tendencies), only neuroticism significantly predicted self-reported disability caused by back pain. Patients on pain medication had significantly worse quality of life and disability caused by back pain, but they did not differ significantly in personality traits compared to patients without pain medication. There were no differences in disability due to back pain and in level of neuroticism between patients who had jobs with higher or lower physical demand. People with higher scores on neuroticism inclined more to report a lower functional disability and the quality of life caused by chronic back pain. Patients on pain medication reported more inferior physical than psychological concept of quality of life. Use of pain medication was not associated with personality traits assessed by Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. In our elderly patients with chronic back pain, lower quality of life was associated with elevated neuroticism score and more frequent use of pain medication.