Factors Associated with Quality of Life of Psychiatric Outpatients with Chronic Pain in South Korea

Chronic pain has a high prevalence rate and is difficult to treat because it is associated with personality, socio-psychological problems as well as physical pain, and thereby degrades one's quality of life. This study aimed to determine whether psychosocial factors are associated with quality of life among outpatients with chronic pain. The subjects were selected from patients with chronic pain who were receiving outpatient treatment at the mental health department of a university hospital in Seoul, Korea. The participants were 100 patients and the data were collected using structured questionnaires Patients' quality of life was significantly positively correlated with pain acceptance and spirituality, and negatively associated with catastrophizing and neuroticism. Multiple regression showed that catastrophizing, spirituality, pain acceptance, neuroticism, and number of pain sites were significant predictors of quality of life. These variables explained 59.0% of quality of life. Therefore, to improve quality of life in patients with chronic pain, it may be necessary to develop their spirituality and pain acceptance, and to reduce their catastrophizing and neuroticism.