title: A prospective study of perceived injustice in whiplash victims and its relationship to recovery.
abstract: The objectives of this paper are to to measure levels of perceived injustice in whiplash victims and determine the relationship to recovery at 6-month post-injury. Consecutive acute whiplash patients completed the Injustice Experience Questionnaire, at presentation, and also 3- and 6-month post-injury. At each of these two follow-up points, participants were examined for recovery. Of an initial 134 participants, 130 participants were followed up at 3 months and 124 at 6 months. At the 3-month follow-up, 62 % (80/130) of participants reported recovery from their injuries. At 6 months, 80 % (99/124) reported recovery. The initial Injustice Experience Questionnaire score was low, with a mean score of 6.0 ± 1.0 (range 5-10) out of a maximum of 48. The mean score at 3-month follow-up had increased in the cohort to 7.4 ± 1.6 (range 5-11). At 6-month post-injury, the mean of the Injustice Experience Questionnaire score for the cohort who still reported lack of recovery (25/124 participants) was 15.0 ± 6.0 (range 5-31), while that for the recovered group remained low at 8.2 ± 3.9 (range 5-11). In the primary care setting, a significant proportion of whiplash patients who have not recovered by 3-month post-injury subsequently develop higher levels of perceived injustice by 6-month post-injury. The development of high levels of perceived injustice at 6-month post-injury appears to follow the development of chronic pain and a lack of recovery at 3 months and, at that point, becomes a risk factor for lack of recovery thereafter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Department of Rheumatic Diseases, University of Alberta, 13-103 Clinical Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P4, Canada, rferrari@shaw.ca.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012307:Risk Factors; D012935:Social Justice / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014911:Whiplash Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult