Chronic Pain and Biopsychosocial Correlates in Rural Filipino Adults: A Cross-Sectional Secondary Analysis

TL;DR

This study finds that chronic pain in rural Filipino adults is strongly linked to psychosocial and sleep issues, suggesting community-based interventions could help.

Contribution

The study provides novel insights into biopsychosocial correlates of chronic pain in rural Filipino communities, emphasizing modifiable factors.

Findings

Chronic pain affected 83.8% of rural Filipino adults, with 5.6% experiencing severe pain.

Psychosocial distress, sleep issues, and reduced physical functioning were strongly linked to increased pain severity.

Demographic factors had minimal impact on pain severity compared to psychosocial and clinical variables.

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain is a leading contributor to disability worldwide, yet population-based data from rural and medically underserved settings remain limited. Evidence describing the biopsychosocial correlates of chronic pain in rural Filipino communities is particularly scarce. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the I-HELP-FILIPINO community cohort, collected between January and June 2017. Participants included 909 adults aged 18–93 years who voluntarily attended barangay clinic days in rural Philippine communities. Pain severity was assessed with standardized self-report tools. Sociodemographic, psychosocial, sleep, and functional health factors were examined using bivariate analysis and hierarchical linear regression. Results are shown with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Chronic pain was very common, affecting 83.8% of participants, with 5.6% experiencing severe pain. In multivariable models, psychosocial distress, sleep issues, and reduced physical functioning were significantly linked to increased pain severity, while demographic factors contributed minimally to the variance. Most of the explained variance in pain outcomes was accounted for by psychosocial and clinical variables. Conclusions: In this rural Filipino cohort, chronic pain was strongly associated with modifiable psychosocial, sleep, and functional health factors. Focusing on community-based and culturally tailored interventions can inspire hope and empower healthcare professionals and policymakers to tackle these issues more effectively.

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