Cumulative Lifetime Violence Severity and Chronic Pain in a Community Sample of Canadian Men

Description

Objective: To create a descriptive profile of chronic pain severity in men with lifetime cumulative violence histories as target and/or perpetrator and investigate how chronic pain severity is associated with, and predicted by lifetime cumulative violence severity and known determinants of chronic pain. Methods: Analysis of variance and binary logistic regression using data collected in an online survey with a community convenience sample of 653 men who reported experiences of lifetime violence. Results: Prevalence of high intensity/high disability pain in men with lifetime violence was 35.8%. Total Cumulative Lifetime Violence Severity (CLVS)-44 scores were significantly associated with high intensity/high disability chronic pain measured by the Chronic Pain Grade Scale (OR = 8.40). In a model with 10 CLVS-44 subscales scores, only psychological workplace violence as target (aOR = 1.44) and lifetime family physical violence as target (aOR = 1.42) significantly predicted chronic pain severity. In a multivariate model, chronic pain severity was predicted by CLVS-44 total score (aOR = 2.69), age (aOR = 1.02), injury with temporary impairment (aOR = 1.99), number of chronic conditions (aOR = 1.37) and depressive symptoms ((aOR = 1.03). Conclusion: The association between lifetime cumulative violence severity and chronic pain severity in men is important new information suggesting the need for trauma- and violence-informed approaches to assessment and intervention with men. This is the first analysis using CLVS-44 subscales to understand which configurations of lifetime cumulative violence may be most predictive of chronic pain severity; further investigation is needed to confirm these findings. Keywords: cumulative lifetime violence severity, chronic pain severity, psychological workplace violence, gender, perpetration, victimization