The Helplessness Dimension of Pain Catastrophizing Mediates the Relation between PTSD Symptoms and Pain Rehabilitation Measures.

Pain catastrophizing is a multifaceted construct. These results suggest that the helplessness dimension of pain catastrophizing may be the primary target when treating patients with comorbid chronic pain and PTSD symptoms. This study represents the first to evaluate the influence of the individual dimensions of pain catastrophizing on the relationship between PTSD symptomatology and chronic pain outcome.