Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and General Activity Level in the Prediction of Neurocognitive Performance in Chronic Pain Patients

The relative contribution of posttraumatic stress symptoms and general activity level to the prediction of neurocognitive performance among individuals with chronic pain was investigated. Posttraumatic stress symptoms accounted for significant proportions of the variance in attention and concentration and memory after controlling for years of education and pain severity. Level of engagement in common daily activities was also a significant predictor of attention and concentration. Level of general activity moderated the relation between posttraumatic stress symptoms and reasoning ability, the expected negative relation between posttraumatic stress symptoms and reasoning ability was significant only among those chronic pain patients who reported low levels of engagement in tasks of daily living. Discussion focuses on the findings in terms of their many implications for assessment and treatment of emotional and neurocognitive difficulties experienced by persons with chronic pain.