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. 2014 Sep 2:10:1613-20.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S66209. eCollection 2014.

Aggression, impulsivity, and suicide risk in benign chronic pain patients - a cross-sectional study

Francesco Margari  1 , Marina Lorusso  2 , Emilia Matera  3 , Adriana Pastore  1 , Giuseppina Zagaria  3 , Francesco Bruno  4 , Filomena Puntillo  4 , Lucia Margari  3
Affiliations

Aggression, impulsivity, and suicide risk in benign chronic pain patients - a cross-sectional study

Francesco Margari et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the role that psychopathological dimensions as overt aggression and impulsivity play in determining suicide risk in benign chronic pain patients (CPPs). Furthermore we investigated the possible protective/risk factors which promote these negative feelings, analyzing the relationship between CPPs and their caregivers.

Methods: We enrolled a total of 208 patients, divided into CPPs and controls affected by internistic diseases. Assessment included collection of sociodemographic and health care data, pain characteristics, administration of visual analog scale (VAS), Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and a caregiver self-administered questionnaire. All variables were statistically analyzed.

Results: A significant difference of VAS, MOAS-total/verbal/auto-aggression, HDRS-total/suicide mean scores between the groups were found. BIS mean score was higher in CPPs misusing analgesics. In CPPs a correlation between MOAS-total/verbal/auto-aggression with BIS mean score, MOAS with HDRS-suicide mean score and BIS with HDRS-suicide mean scores were found. The MOAS and BIS mean scores were significantly higher when caregivers were not supportive.

Conclusion: In CPPs, aggression and impulsivity could increase the risk of suicide. Moreover, impulsivity, overt aggression and pain could be interrelated by a common biological core. Our study supports the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the CPPs management and the necessity to supervise caregivers, which may become risk/protective factors for the development of feelings interfering with the treatment and rehabilitation of CPPs.

Keywords: chronic pain; impulsivity; overt aggression; suicide.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Statistical differences. Notes: (A) Statistical difference of VAS mean values between CPPs and control group. (B) Statistical difference of MOAS total/auto-aggression/verbal aggression mean score between CPPs and control group. (C) Statistical difference of HDRS total/suicide mean score between CPPs and controls. Abbreviations: VAS, Visual Analog Scale; CPPs, Chronic Pain Patients; MOAS, Modified Overt Aggression Scale; HDRS, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.
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