Pain and health-related quality of life among women of childbearing age in Iceland: ICEPAIN, a nationwide survey.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of both non-chronic and chronic pain among women of childbearing age and describe the impact that pain has on their health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional cohort study, and the data were collected as part of the ICEPAIN nationwide study. Participants were recruited from a randomised sample, stratified by age and residence to secure a proportional sample, by email invitation. Women between 18 and 45 years of age participated, and data were collected through a web-based platform with questionnaires that measured sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, sleep quality, pain severity, characteristics of pain, pain interference (Brief Pain Inventory), and HRQoL (SF-12-v2). Spearman correlation was used when assessing relationships between demographic and lifestyle factors, and HRQoL and pain. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney , ANOVA, and multivariate general linear model were used to assess group differences.

RESULTS

In total, 969 women of childbearing age (18-45 years) participated in the study, and the response rate was 34.8%. The average age was 36.1 ± 6.3 years, and the majority (82.5%) were married, cohabiting, or in a steady relationship. Altogether, 45.9% of the sample reported having pain during the past week ( = 445); the vast majority, 80.4% ( = 366), had chronic pain. The majority of the participants, 57.3%, had moderate or severe pain. Chronic pain was significantly correlated with higher age, higher BMI, experiencing pain during the period, and poorer sleep quality. In contrast, no significant correlation was found between chronic pain and parity, residence, education, physical exercise, smoking, or alcohol drinking. Both non-chronic and chronic pain interfered with mood, sleep, general activities, and other aspects of daily life, and the effect of pain was significantly greater among women with chronic pain. Among these, pain severity was strongly correlated with the level of pain interference (0.79). A negative correlation between pain interference and HRQoL (physical component score, -0.64, and mental component score, -0.34) was observed among women with chronic pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Both non-chronic and chronic pain are common among women of childbearing age in Iceland. It interferes with daily life and affects their HRQoL.