Pain, Stress and Mental Well-Being Over Three Generations

IF 3.4 2区医学 Q1 ANESTHESIOLOGY

European Journal of Pain Pub Date : 2025-09-02 DOI:10.1002/ejp.70110

Nikola Stanisic, Sonia Sharma, Simon Vallin, Peter M. Nilsson, Per-Olof Östergren, Anna Lövgren, Thomas List, Birgitta Häggman-Henrikson

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Abstract

Background

The multifactorial nature of chronic pain should be reflected in pain assessment. The aim of this observational study comparing samples from three generations assessed at different times was to present differences in pain, stress and mental well-being.

Methods

Pain sites, widespread pain, stress (Perceived Stress Scale-4) and mental well-being (30-item General Health Questionnaire) were described across generations from the Malmö neck and shoulder study (parents, Generation 1, n = 12,607), Malmö offspring study, and Malmö Offspring pain study (children and grandchildren, Generation 2, n = 1572; Generation 3, n = 936).

Results

Pain prevalence remained comparable across generations. In all generations, women reported more pain sites compared to men, mean difference 1.0 (95% CI 0.9–1.1) in Generation 1, mean difference 1.3 (95% CI 1.0–1.6) in Generation 2, and mean difference 0.9 (95% CI 0.5–1.3) in Generation 3. The frequency of widespread pain for women and men was 28% and 16% in Generation 1, 27% and 12% in Generation 2, and 22% and 15% in Generation 3, respectively. Perceived stress levels were consistently higher in Generation 2 and 3 compared to Generation 1 for both women and men. Among women, mental well-being remained stable between Generation 1 and 2 but declined significantly in Generation 3 (mean difference 3.2, 95% CI 2.4–4.3).

Conclusions

The results suggest significant gender disparities, with women consistently reporting more pain sites, higher stress levels, and reduced mental well-being compared to men. Furthermore, the findings suggest that generational differences in coping—or other factors—may mitigate the impact of psychosocial distress on pain prevalence, warranting further research.

Significance

This study highlights the comparability of pain prevalence across generations despite increasing stress and declining mental well-being, particularly in women. These findings emphasise the importance of integrating mental health support and gender-specific coping strategies into pain management, offering insights into biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying the interactions between pain and perceived stress.

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三代人的痛苦、压力和心理健康

背景慢性疼痛的多因素特征应反映在疼痛评估中。这项观察性研究的目的是比较三代人在不同时间接受评估的样本，以呈现疼痛、压力和心理健康方面的差异。方法通过Malmö颈肩研究（父母，第一代，n = 12,607）、Malmö后代研究和Malmö后代疼痛研究（子女和孙辈，第二代，n = 1572；第三代，n = 936）对疼痛部位、广泛疼痛、压力（感知压力量表-4）和心理健康（30项一般健康问卷）进行代际描述。结果疼痛患病率在各代之间保持可比性。在所有世代中，女性报告的疼痛部位比男性多，第一代平均差异为1.0 (95% CI 0.9 - 1.1)，第二代平均差异为1.3 (95% CI 1.0 - 1.6)，第三代平均差异为0.9 （95% CI 0.5-1.3）。女性和男性普遍疼痛的频率在第一代分别为28%和16%，在第二代分别为27%和12%，在第三代分别为22%和15%。无论是男性还是女性，第二代和第三代的感知压力水平都比第一代高。在女性中，心理健康在第一代和第二代之间保持稳定，但在第三代显著下降（平均差值3.2,95% CI 2.4-4.3）。研究结果显示了显著的性别差异，与男性相比，女性持续报告更多的疼痛部位，更高的压力水平和更低的心理健康。此外，研究结果表明，应对能力的代际差异或其他因素可能会减轻心理社会困扰对疼痛患病率的影响，这值得进一步研究。这项研究强调了尽管压力增加和心理健康下降，尤其是女性，但几代人之间疼痛患病率的可比性。这些发现强调了将心理健康支持和针对性别的应对策略纳入疼痛管理的重要性，为疼痛和感知压力之间相互作用的生物心理社会机制提供了见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

European Journal of Pain 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

7.50

自引率

5.60%

发文量

163

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： European Journal of Pain (EJP) publishes clinical and basic science research papers relevant to all aspects of pain and its management, including specialties such as anaesthesia, dentistry, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, palliative care, pharmacology, physiology, psychiatry, psychology and rehabilitation; socio-economic aspects of pain are also covered. Regular sections in the journal are as follows: • Editorials and Commentaries • Position Papers and Guidelines • Reviews • Original Articles • Letters • Bookshelf The journal particularly welcomes clinical trials, which are published on an occasional basis. Research articles are published under the following subject headings: • Neurobiology • Neurology • Experimental Pharmacology • Clinical Pharmacology • Psychology • Behavioural Therapy • Epidemiology • Cancer Pain • Acute Pain • Clinical Trials.