Psychosocial variables affect the quality of life of men diagnosed with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To examine interactions between demographic, pain, urinary, psychological and environmental predictors of quality of life (QOL) in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).


METHODS
In all, 253 men previously enrolled in the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Cohort study in North American tertiary-care clinical centres (six in the USA and one in Canada) self-reported with validated instruments, including the QOL subscales of the Short Form-12 (physical, SF12-PCS; and mental, SF12-MCS), demographics, urinary symptoms, depression, current pain, pain coping, 'catastrophizing' (catastrophic thinking about pain), pain control, social support and solicitous responses from a partner. Data were collected through a one-time survey. Covariates determined to be significant were entered into a multivariable regression model predicting SF12-PCS and SF12-MCS.


RESULTS
Adjusting for covariates, regression models showed that poorer SF12-PCS scores were predicted by worse urinary function (P < 0.001) and increased use of pain-contingent resting as a coping strategy (P = 0.026). Further, poorer SF12-MCS scores were predicted by greater pain catastrophizing (P = 0.002) and lower perceptions of social support (P< 0.001). In separate follow-up analyses, helplessness was the significant catastrophizing subscale (P < 0.001), while support from family and friends were the significant social support subscales (P = 0.002 and <0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that specific coping and environmental factors (i.e. catastrophizing, pain-contingent resting, social support) are significant in understanding how patients with CP/CPPS adjust. These data can be used to develop specific cognitive-behavioural programmes for men with CP/CPPS who are refractory to standard medical therapy.
Nickel
J Curtis
JC
Department of Urology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. jcn@queensu.ca
Tripp
Dean A
DA
Chuai
Shannon
S
Litwin
Mark S
MS
McNaughton-Collins
Mary
M
Landis
J Richard
JR
Alexander
Richard B
RB
Schaeffer
Anthony J
AJ
O'Leary
Michael P
MP
Pontari
Michel A
MA
White
Paige
P
Mullins
Christopher
C
Nyberg
Leroy
L
Kusek
John
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology