Citation

Campbell L, Smith A, McGregor L, Sterling M. Clin. J. Pain 2018; 34(8): 755-768.

Affiliation

Recover Injury Research Centre, NHMRC CRE in Recovery Following Road Traffic Injury, The University of Queensland, Herston, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/AJP.0000000000000597

PMID

29470185

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To assess which psychological factors are important in the development of chronic whiplash symptoms.

METHODS: Searches were conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and PsychINFO up until March 2017. Studies were included if they investigated psychological prognostic factors in association with recovery from a whiplash injury. Studies also had to be prospective, cohort, follow-up or observational studies, have a 6 month follow up and published in English. Quality assessments were conducted by two independent reviewers. Thirty-one articles were included investigating 34 psychological factors.

RESULTS: Poor expectations of recovery, posttraumatic stress symptoms and passive coping emerged as the most consistent prognostic factors of chronic neck pain and/or disability after a whiplash injury. Anxiety, travel anxiety, depression, personality, pre-collision distress, general psychological distress and avoidance behaviour were not associated with chronic whiplash problems.

Language: en