title: Couple therapy improves mental well-being in chronic low back pain patients. A controlled, five year follow-up study.
abstract: Fifty-six chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients participated in a controlled, prospective 5-yr follow-up study evaluating the long-term effects of five-session couple therapy. Twenty-eight patients were included both in the treatment group and in the control group. Outcome measures were self-reported psychological distress, marital satisfaction, health locus of control, pain and disability as well as clinical examinations. The reliability of the outcome measures was statistically analysed and found acceptable. At the 5-yr follow-up assessments, psychological distress was found to be decreased in the treatment group and increased in controls. The difference between the groups was significant. No difference was found in the other self-reported or clinical outcome measures. We conclude that couple therapy has a prolonged beneficial effect on the mental well-being of CLBP patients.
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Research Centre, Social Insurance Institution, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saarijärvi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alanen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Rytökoski
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hyyppä
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008388:Marital Therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012803:Sick Role