• Julia R Craner, Lindsay G Flegge, Eric S Lake, and Arianna E A Perra.
• Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Pain Rehabilitation, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• Pain Med. 2022 Feb 1; 23 (2): 362-374.

ObjectiveChronic pain and depression frequently co-occur and exacerbate one another; therefore, it is important to treat both conditions to improve patient outcomes. The current study evaluates an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program (IPRP) with respect to the following questions: 1) How do clinically elevated depressive symptoms impact pain-related treatment outcomes? and 2) To what extent does IPRP participation yield reliable and clinically significant change in depressed mood?MethodsParticipants in this study included 425 adults who engaged in a 10-week IPRP and completed self-report measures of pain, mood, and functioning at intake and discharge. Participants were categorized into 4 groups based on self-reported depressive symptoms (PROMIS Depression): within normal limits (WNL; n = 121), Mild (n = 115), Moderate (n = 153), and Severe (n = 36).ResultsParticipants reported significant improvement in pain, pain-related life interference, health-related quality of life, pain catastrophizing, and depressed mood regardless of initial symptom level. In addition, 43.4% of patients with Mild, Moderate, or Severe depressed mood reported reliable and clinically significant improvement in depressive symptoms and 30.3% were in remission at the end of treatment.ConclusionsThese findings support the assertion that IPRPs represent an effective treatment for patients with comorbid chronic pain and depression and that participation is associated with improvement in both conditions.© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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