Are difficulties perceiving and expressing emotions associated with low-back pain? The relationship between lack of emotional awareness (alexithymia) and 12-month prevalence of low-back pain in 1180 urban public transit operators.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the association of alexithymia (deficit in emotional awareness) with 12-month prevalence of low back pain (LBP) cross-sectionally in a cohort study of 1180 San Francisco transit operators.


METHODS
Alexithymia was measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). LBP was assessed in medical histories during drivers relicensing exams. Multivariate logistic regression analyses controlled for demographic, behavioral (smoking, alcohol, coping style), and physical and psychosocial job factors measured by questionnaire and interview.


RESULTS
Of all the drivers, 31.4% suffered from LBP. Scoring in the upper quartile of alexithymia summary scores was associated with twofold higher odds of LBP (adjusted odds ratio=2.00, 95% confidence interval: 1.31-3.00). The association was stronger in women (adj. OR=4.35) than in men (adj. OR=1.83). The factor "difficulty identifying feelings" showed the strongest association with LBP (adj. OR=2.23).


CONCLUSIONS
The results support an association between alexithymia and LBP.
Mehling
Wolf E
WE
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, Campus Box 1726, 1701 Divisadero, #150, San Francisco, CA 94143-1726, USA.
Krause
Niklas
N
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D017150:Public Sector; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014186:Transportation; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*