Memory for Chronic Pain Intensity: Correlates of Accuracy

In this study the effects of psychosocial factors on chronic pain recall were investigated. 61 female back pain patients first rated their pain intensity on visual analogue scales during a baseline period. At follow-up 18 mo. later the participants were asked to recall their pain. In addition, they completed a battery of questionnaires including such factors as current depression, pain, helplessness, activities of daily living, and psychosocial work environment, to assess whether these factors affect memory. The results indicated that about 70% of the participants "overestimated" their remembered pain. No significant relationships between recall accuracy and current depression, pain, activities of daily living, or sleep quality were found. However, moderate and significant correlations were found for helplessness and four psychosocial work environment items. These results replicate other reports showing poor memory for intensity of pain and underscore the possible importance of psychosocial work environment factors in memory for intensity of chronic pain.