We investigated the relationships between trauma, depression, and pelvic pain severity in patients with chronic pelvic pain. Previous research has demonstrated that pelvic pain is associated with trauma history (e.g., physical and sexual abuse). As one potential mechanism of this relationship, trauma may lead to increased susceptibility to pain by altering centrally-mediated sensitivity and decreasing self-efficacy to cope with the pain. Patients from the Multi-Disciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network are well characterized in terms of biomarkers (e.g., neuroimaging) and psychosocial factors (e.g., personality, trauma history). Data were from men (n = 191) and women (n = 231) with Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (UCPPS) including chronic prostatitis and interstitial cystitis. Ninety-six percent of participants endorsed trauma history. Childhood sexual trauma for females and males, and recent physical trauma for females, were associated with baseline pelvic pain. These relationships did not hold when trauma was regressed on pain with baseline depression as a covariate; depression significantly predicted pain across sex. Findings provide insight into the relationships between trauma, depression, and pelvic pain severity, guiding future research to explore psychosocial mechanisms of pelvic pain and to inform clinical practice, such as screening for trauma history in urology/urogynecology clinics.

Creator

• Taple, Bayley Jane

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-agbn-2f26

Subject

• Clinical psychology

Language

• en

Alternate Identifier

• http://dissertations.umi.com/northwestern:15601
• etdadmin_upload_823488

Keyword

• trauma
• catastrophizing
• chronic pelvic pain
• urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes (UCPPS)
• depression
• pain severity

Date created

• 2021-01-01

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright