Survival with pain: An eight‐year follow‐up of war‐wounded refugees

The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of chronic pain in male war‐wounded refugees and to examine the relationship between chronic pain and psychiatric symptoms. A culturally heterogeneous group of 44 war‐wounded refugees were investigated during hospitalization, shortly after arrival, and followed up after two years. This study is an additional follow‐up after eight years. The data collection methods used were structured interviews and physical examination. The measures of outcome were: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) grading of pain; clinical categorization of pain into nociceptive or neurogenic; Hopkins Symptom Check List (HSCL‐25); Post Traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSS‐10). Chronic pain was found in 32 (73%) out of 44 subjects. The pain was purely nociceptive and neurogenic in 53% and 25%, respectively. The frequency of psychiatric symptoms was significantly related to the mean intensity of pain. War‐wounded refugees display psychiatric symptoms and chronic pain in a complex pattern. Further research is needed as a basis for pain rehabilitation programmes suitable for this group.

Key Words:

• Chronic pain
• Psychiatric symptoms
• Refugees
• War‐wounded