Stressful experiences in childhood and chronic back pain in the general population.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if stressful experiences in childhood are associated with an increased risk of chronic back problems later in life.


METHODS
We conducted a prospective cohort study in the Canadian household population. Study participants were respondents to the first 3 cycles of the National Population Health Survey in Canada who were 18 years of age or older at baseline (n = 9552). Cases of chronic back pain during a 4-year follow-up period were ascertained with an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Stressful experiences in childhood were measured by an index consisting of 7 questions.


RESULTS
In multivariate analyses, the risk of back pain was 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.97-1.41) for 1 stressful event and 1.49 (95% confidence interval 1.21-1.84) for 2 or more events. The effect was consistent across subgroups defined by gender, socioeconomic status, and health status. Specific events associated with an increased risk included fearful experiences, prolonged hospitalization, and parental unemployment.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study shows that persons reporting multiple stressful experiences in childhood are at increased risk of developing chronic back problems.
Kopec
Jacek A
JA
Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. jkopec@arthritisresearch.ca
Sayre
Eric C
EC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires