title: The cognitive behavioral therapy causes an improvement in quality of life in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
abstract: Chronic pain causes functional incapacity and compromises an individual's affective, social, and economic life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) effectiveness in a group of patients with chronic pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized clinical trial with two parallel groups comprising 93 patients with chronic pain was carried out. Forty-eight patients were submitted to CBT and 45 continued the standard treatment. The visual analogue, hospital anxiety and depression, and quality of life SF-36 scales were applied. Patients were evaluated before and after ten weeks of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When the Control Group and CBT were compared, the latter presented reduction of depressive symptoms (p=0.031) and improvement in the domains 'physical limitations' (p=0.012), 'general state of health' (p=0.045), and 'limitations by emotional aspects' (p=0.025).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CBT was effective and it has caused an improvement in more domains of quality of life when compared to the Control Group, after ten weeks of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Dor do Complexo Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia UFBA, Salvador BA, Brazil. marthamcastro@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Martha M C
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Daltro
authors.forename: Durval Campos
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Kraychete
authors.forename: Josiane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lopes
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome