Worry, rumination, depression and chronic pain v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Worry and Rumination as Predictors of Depression in Chronic Pelvic Pain Patients
IRAS ID
201776
Contact name
Steven Muncer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Teesside University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
There is a large body of evidence showing that there is an association between depression and chronic pain. Given the high levels of depression reported by people with chronic pain, a number of attempts have been made to identify psychological predictors of affective disorders in chronic pain patients. One factor that has been examined in a number of studies is worry. It has been shown that worry plays an important role in the development of depression in this population. Separate research has indicated that rumination, a construct similar to worry, but distinct in terms of temporal focus, also plays an important role in the development of depression in this population. However, no single study has examined the associations between worry, rumination and depression in chronic pelvic pain (CPP) patients.
In this study, we will examine whether worry predicts levels of depression reported by CPP patients, after controlling for levels of rumination. If worry does, it may suggest that depressed CPP patients should be offered worry-focused interventions. The study aims to recruit 100 CPP patients, who will complete a questionnaire pack including measures of depression, rumination, and worry.
Interventions that have been shown to reduce the amount of rumination (e.g. Watkins et al., 2011) and the amount of worry (e.g. Freeman et al., 2015) reported by participants have been developed. The effects of these interventions on rumination/ worry appear to have further effects on participants’ mental health more broadly. Thus, these interventions may help depressed chronic pain patients. The present study will provide evidence concerning whether one, or both, of these interventions should be offered to depressed chronic pain patients.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/YH/0343
Date of REC Opinion
9 Aug 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion