Psychosocial variables affect the quality of life of men diagnosed with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome

OBJECTIVE

To examine interactions between demographic, pain, urinary, psychological and environmental predictors of quality of life (QOL) in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 253 men previously enrolled in the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Cohort study in North American tertiary‐care clinical centres (six in the USA and one in Canada) self‐reported with validated instruments, including the QOL subscales of the Short Form‐12 (physical, SF12‐PCS; and mental, SF12‐MCS), demographics, urinary symptoms, depression, current pain, pain coping, ‘catastrophising’ (catastrophic thinking about pain), pain control, social support and solicitous responses from a partner. Data were collected through a one‐time survey. Covariates determined to be significant were entered into a multivariable regression model predicting SF12‐PCS and SF12‐MCS.

RESULTS

Adjusting for covariates, regression models showed that poorer SF12‐PCS scores were predicted by worse urinary function (P < 0.001) and increased use of pain‐contingent resting as a coping strategy (P = 0.026). Further, poorer SF12‐MCS scores were predicted by greater pain catastrophizing (P = 0.002) and lower perceptions of social support (P< 0.001). In separate follow‐up analyses, helplessness was the significant catastrophizing subscale (P < 0.001), while support from family and friends were the significant social support subscales (P = 0.002 and <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that specific coping and environmental factors (i.e. catastrophizing, pain‐contingent resting, social support) are significant in understanding how patients with CP/CPPS adjust. These data can be used to develop specific cognitive‐behavioural programmes for men with CP/CPPS who are refractory to standard medical therapy.