Published online Sep 22, 2016. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v6.i3.339
Peer-review started: March 8, 2016
First decision: April 20, 2016
Revised: July 26, 2016
Accepted: August 30, 2016
Article in press: August 31, 2016
Published online: September 22, 2016
To compare the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and early emotional traumas between women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and healthy women.
One hundred women in reproductive age, 50 of them had CPP (according to the criteria set by the International Association for Study of Pain), and 50 were considered healthy after the gynecological evaluation. The eligibility criteria were defined as follows: chronic or persistent pain perceived in the pelvis-related structures (digestive, urinary, genital, myofascial or neurological systems). Only women in reproductive age with acyclic pain for 6 mo, or more, were included in the present study. Menopause was the exclusion criterion. The participants were grouped according to age, school level and socio-economic status and were individually assessed through DSM-IV Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-I) and Early Trauma Inventory Self-report - short form (ETISR-SF Brazilian version). Descriptive statistics, group comparison tests and multivariate logistics regression were used in the data analysis.
The early emotional traumas are highly prevalent, but their prevalence did not differ between the two groups. The current Major Depressive Disorder was more prevalent in women with CPP. The CPP was associated with endometriosis in 48% of the women. There was no difference in the prevalence of disorders when endometriosis was taken into account (endometriosis vs other diseases: P > 0.29). The current Major Depressive Disorder and the Bipolar Disorder had greater occurrence likelihood in the group of women with CPP (ODDS = 5.25 and 9.0).
The data reinforce the link between mood disorders and CPP. The preview evidences about the association between CPP and early traumas tended not to be significant after a stronger methodological control was implemented.
Core tip: There is also evidence about the association between depressive and anxious symptoms and the presence of chronic pelvic pain (CPP). The weakest points in these data refer to the quality of the studies; as most of them are descriptive and assess symptoms, instead of confirming the disorder symptoms, which may affect the understanding of the link between conditions. The current study used “gold standard” psychiatric diagnostic instruments to assess the presence or absence of Axis I mental disorders. The results showed associations between mood disorders and CPP, but the association between CPP and early trauma tends not to be significant after increased methodological control.