forecasting psychological distress in chronic pain: the influence of post-traumatic stress disorder and pain catastrophizing

Introduction: chronic pain (cp) is a multifaceted condition that encompasses more than just physical discomfort, intertwining with a variety of psychological factors. this study aims to explore the influence of post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) and pain catastrophizing (pc) on the prediction of psychological distress (pd) among patients grappling with cp.method: this research is a descriptive and correlational study. the population of the study included patients with cp who had referred to pain and physiotherapy centers in the tehran province in 2022-2023. a sample of 395 individuals was selected by the convenience sampling method and then data was collected using psychological distress (dass-21), post-traumatic stress disorder (pcl-5), and pain catastrophizing scale (pcs). data were analyzed by spss-24 software using pearson correlation and multiple regression.results: the results showed that the correlation between pd of cp with re-experiencing (r=0.66, p<0.001), avoidance (r=0.55, p<0.001), negative alterations (r=0.73, p<0.001), hyper-arousal (r=0.70, p<0.001), emotional numbness (r=0.74, p<0.001), rumination (r=0.70, p<0.001), magnification (r=0.64, p<0.001), and helplessness (r=0.74, p<0.001) was positive and significant. in addition, the results of multiple regression analysis revealed that ptsd and pc predict 73% of pd.conclusion: the current study contributes to the empirical understanding of the relationship between cp and pd and provides valuable insights for clinicians and researchers alike.