Pre-surgery beliefs about pain and surgery as predictors of acute and chronic post-surgical pain: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain post-surgical pain (CPSP) is common and has far-reaching negative consequences for patients, yet relatively few studies have evaluated the impact of both deficit- and resource-based beliefs about pain and surgery on subjective intensities of acute and chronic post-surgical pain. To address this issue a prospective cohort study was performed. METHOD: 259 consecutive surgery patients from general surgery, gynecology, and thoracic departments completed a self-report battery of demographics, pain experiences, and psychological factors 24 h before surgery (T1) and provided follow-up pain intensity ratings 48 h-72 h after surgery (T2), and at a 4-month follow-up (T3). RESULTS: In the hierarchical regression model for acute post-operative pain intensity, pre-surgery pain self-efficacy beliefs made a significant unique contribution independent of all other pre-surgery and surgery-related factors (i.e., age, presence of pre-surgical pain, type of anesthesia, surgery duration). In the prediction model for intensity of chronic post-surgical pain, beliefs about long-term effects of surgery had a unique impact after controlling other significant pre-surgery and surgery influences (gender, education, surgery time). CONCLUSION: Results underscored the potential utility of considering specific pre-surgery pain- and surgery-related beliefs as factors that predict patient experiences of acute and chronic post-operative pain.