SpringerLink
Log in

The Relation Between Catastrophizing and Occupational Disability in Individuals with Major Depression: Concurrent and Prospective Associations

  • Published:
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background Catastrophic thinking has been associated with occupational disability in individuals with debilitating pain conditions. The relation between catastrophic thinking and occupational disability has not been previously examined in individuals with debilitating mental health conditions. The present study examined the relation between catastrophic thinking and occupational disability in individuals with major depression. Methods The study sample consisted of 80 work-disabled individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) who were referred to an occupational rehabilitation service. Participants completed measures of depressive symptom severity, catastrophic thinking and occupational disability at admission and termination of a rehabilitation intervention. Return-to-work outcomes were assessed 1 month following the termination of the rehabilitation intervention. Results Cross-sectional analyses of admission data revealed that catastrophic thinking contributed significant variance to the prediction of self-reported occupational disability, beyond the variance accounted for by depressive symptom severity. Prospective analyses revealed that reductions in catastrophic thinking predicted successful return to work following the rehabilitation intervention, beyond the variance accounted for by reductions in depressive symptom severity. Conclusions The findings suggest that catastrophic thinking is a determinant of occupational disability in individuals with major depressive disorder. The findings further suggest that interventions designed to reduce catastrophic thinking might promote occupational re-integration in individuals with debilitating mental health conditions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (France)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sullivan MJL, Feuerstein M, Gatchel R, Linton SJ, Pransky G. Integrating psychosocial and behavioral interventions to achieve optimal rehabilitation outcomes. J Occup Rehabil. 2005;15:475–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Sullivan MJL, Thorn B, Haythornthwaite JA, Keefe F, Martin M, Bradley LA, Lefebvre JC. Theoretical perspectives on the relation between catastrophizing and pain. Clin J Pain. 2001;17:52–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Quartana PJ, Campbell CM, Edwards RR. Pain catastrophizing: a critical review. Expert Rev Neurother. 2009;9:745–58.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Leung L. Pain catastrophizing: an updated review. Indian J Psychol Med. 2012;34:204–17.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Katon W. The impact of depression on workplace functioning and disability costs. Am J Manag Care. 2009;15:S322–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rost K. Disability from depression: the public health challenge to primary care. Nord J Psychiatry. 2009;63:17–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Simon GE, Chisholm D, Treglia M, Bushnell D. Course of depression, health services costs, and work productivity in an international primary care study. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2002;24:328–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Beck AT, Rush AJ, Shaw BF, Emery G. Cognitive therapy for depression. New York: Guilford; 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Rosenstiel A, Keefe F. The use of co** strategies in chronic low back pain patients: relationship to patient characteristics and current adjustment. Pain. 1983;17:33–44.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Sullivan MJL, Bishop S, Pivik J. The pain catastrophizing scale: development and validation. Psychol Assess. 1995;7:524–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Moore E, Adams H, Ellis T, Thibault P, Sullivan MJL. Assessing catastrophic thinking associated with debilitatin health conditions. Under review. 2016.

  12. Sullivan MJL, Simon G. A telephonic intervention for promoting occupational re-integration in work-disabled individuals with muscuoloskeletal pain. Transl Behav Med. 2012;2:22–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Kroenke K, Spitzer R, Williams J. The PHQ-9. J Gen Int Med. 2001;16:606–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Gilbody S, Richards D, Brealey S, Hewitt C. Screening for depression in medical settings with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ): a diagnostic meta-analysis. J Gen Intern Med. 2007;22:1596–602.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Huang FY, Chung H, Kroenke K, Delucchi KL, Spitzer RL. Using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to measure depression among racially and ethnically diverse primary care patients. J Gen Intern Med. 2006;21:547–52.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Wideman TH, Sullivan MJL. Reducing catastrophic thinking associated with pain. Pain Manag. 2011;1:249–56.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Sullivan MJL, Adams H, Ellis T. A psychosocial risk-targeted intervention to reduce work disability: development, evolution and implementation. Psychol Inj Law. 2013;6:1407–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Dworkin RH, Turk DC, Revicki DA, Harding G, Coyne KS, Pierce-Sandner S. Development and initial validation of an expanded and revised version of the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2). Pain. 2009;144:35–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Melzack R. The short-form McGill pain questionnaire. Pain. 1987;30:191–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Lowe B, Kroenke K, Herzog W, Grafe K. Measuring depression outcome with a brief self-report instrument: sensitivity to change of the Patien Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). J Affect Disord. 2004;81:61–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Sullivan MJL, Stanish W, Waite H, Sullivan M, Tripp DA. Catastrophizing, pain, and disability in patients with soft-tissue injuries. Pain. 1998;77:253–60.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Scott W, Wideman TH, Sullivan MJ. Clinically meaningful scores on pain catastrophizing before and after multidisciplinary rehabilitation: a prospective study of individuals with subacute pain after whiplash injury. Clin J Pain. 2014;30:183–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Dworkin RH, Turk DC, McDermott MP, Peirce-Sandner S, Burke LB, Cowan P, Farrar JT, Hertz S, Raja SN, Rappaport BA, Rauschkolb C, Sampaio C. Interpreting the clinical importance of group differences in chronic pain clinical trials: IMMPACT recommendations. Pain. 2009;146:238–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Wang PS, Simon G, Kessler RC. The economic burden of depression and the cost-effectiveness of treatment. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2003;12:22–33.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Sullivan MJL, Adams H, Ellis T. Targeting catastrophic thinking to promote return to work in individuals with fibromyalgia. J Cognit Psychother. 2012;26:130–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Kessler RC, Barber C, Birnbaum HG, Frank RG, Greenberg PE, Rose RM, Simon GE, Wang P. Depression in the workplace: effects on short-term disability. Health Aff. 1999;18:163–71.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Simon GE, Barber C, Birnbaum HG, Frank RG, Greenberg PE, Rose RM, Wang PS, Kessler RC. Depression and work productivity: the comparative costs of treatment versus nontreatment. JOEM. 2001;43:2–9.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Birnbaum HG, Kessler R, Kelley D, Ben-Hamadi R, Joish VN, Greenberg PE. Employer burden of mild, moderate, and severe major depressive disorder: mental health services utilization and costs, and work performance. Depress Anxiety. 2010;27:78–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Beck A, Crain AL, Solberg LI, Unutzer J, Glasgow RE, Maclosek MV, Whitebird R. Does severity of depression predict magnitude of productivity loss? Am J Manag Care. 2015;20:e294–301.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Simon GE, Revicki D, Heiligenstein J, Grothaus L, VonKorff M, Katon WJ, Hylan TR. Recovery from depression, work productivity, and health care costs among primary care patients. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2000;22:153–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Arnow BA, Blasey CM, Constantino MJ, Robinson R, Hunkeler E, Lee J, Fireman B, Khaylis A, Feiner L, Hayward C. Catastrophizing, depression and pain-related disability. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2011;33:150–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Simon GE, Von Korff M, Lin E. Clinical and functional outcomes of depression treatment in patients with and without chronic medical illness. Psychol Med. 2005;35:271–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Dewa CS, Hoch JS, Lin E, Paterson M, Goering P. Pattern of antidepressant use and duration of depression-related absence from work. Brit J Psychiatry. 2003;183:507–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Sullivan MJL, Rodgers WM, Wilson PM, Bell GJ, Murray TC, Fraser SN. An experimental investigation of the relation between catastrophizing and activity intolerance. Pain. 2002;100:47–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Lariviere C, Bilodeau M, Forget R, Vadeboncoeur R, Mecheri H. Poor back muscle endurance is related to pain catastrophizing in patients with chronic low back pain. Spine. 2010;35:E1178–86.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Thibault P, Loisel P, Durand MJ, Catchlove R, Sullivan MJL. Psychological predictors of pain expression and activity intolerance in chronic pain patients. Pain. 2008;139:47–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Elfving B, Andersson T, Grooten WJ. Low levels of physical activity in back pain patients are associated with high levels of fear-avoidance beliefs and pain catastrophizing. Physiotherapy Res Int. 2007;12:14–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Verbunt JA, Sieben J, Vlaeyen JW, Portegijs P, Andre Knottnerus J. A new episode of low back pain: who relies on bed rest? Eur J Pain. 2008;12:508–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. de Vries HJ, Reneman MF, Groothoff JW, Geertzen JH, Brouwer S. Workers who stay at work despite chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain: do they differ from workers with sick leave? J Occup Rehabil. 2012;22:489–502.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Sullivan MJL, Lariviere C, Simmonds M. Activity-related summation of pain and functional disability in patients with whiplash injuries. Pain. 2010;151:440–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Recover Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia

    Heather Adams

  2. Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

    Pascal Thibault & Emily Moore

  3. Centre for Rehabilitation and Health, Toronto, Canada

    Tamra Ellis

  4. Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Recover Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Level 7, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia

    Michael Sullivan

Authors
  1. Heather Adams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pascal Thibault
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tamra Ellis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Emily Moore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Michael Sullivan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael Sullivan.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest relevant to the material presented in this paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Adams, H., Thibault, P., Ellis, T. et al. The Relation Between Catastrophizing and Occupational Disability in Individuals with Major Depression: Concurrent and Prospective Associations. J Occup Rehabil 27, 405–412 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-016-9669-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-016-9669-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation