Effects of pain-related catastrophic thinking, anxiety, and depression on pain intensity and quality of life in patients with knee and low back pain.

[Purpose] We aimed to examine the effects of pain-related catastrophic thoughts and anxiety/depression on pain intensity and quality of life (QOL), and how these effects (relationships) vary with pain location, in outpatients with chronic pain. [Participants and Methods] We recruited 14 participants with low back pain (2 males and 12 females) and 14 with knee joint pain (3 males and 11 females). We used the following evaluation tools: the visual analog scale (to evaluate pain intensity), pain catastrophizing scale (in which scores are categorized into helplessness, rumination, and magnification), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (for psychodynamic evaluation), and a questionnaire for QOL evaluation.