(PS2-D78) Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: Differences in Depression and Anxiety Sensitivity

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is characterized by discomfort in the abdominal area that has persisted for at least 3 months. CPP disproportionately affects women, with approximately 1 in 4 women worldwide experiencing CPP. It is estimated that 61% of women in the USA with CPP do not know its source. Despite such high prevalence rates, limited research has explored CPP in women. To address this gap, the present study aimed to build on previous literature by examining associations among CPP and emotional factors in a sample of adult women. It was hypothesized that women with CPP would report significantly greater symptoms of depression and anxiety sensitivity when compared to women without CPP.

The present study included a sample of 64 adult women (Mage = 36.87, SD = 12.75; 78.69% White) from the USA with and without CPP. Participants were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk and completed a series of self-report questionnaires via Qualtrics. The presence of CPP was evaluated using a 4-item self-report screener. Emotional variables (i.e., depression and anxiety) were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES-D) and the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3). Both measures were dichotomized into high and low depression and anxiety sensitivity scores based on clinical cutoffs.

In the present sample, findings revealed that 84.4% of women self-reported having CPP. Fisher’s Exact Tests were conducted to examine the relationship between CPP and emotional function. Significant associations emerged between CPP and depression (p = .002) and CPP with anxiety sensitivity (p = .004), such that individuals with CPP were more likely to have clinically relevant depression and anxiety sensitivity scores relative to women without CPP. Among women with CPP, 92.3% and 90.6% reported clinically relevant depression and anxiety sensitivity scores, respectively.

These results suggest that rates of depression and anxiety sensitivity are high in women with CPP, and thus should be considered in current and future treatment interventions. Further research to examine potential moderators and mediators in the relationship between CPP and emotional disorders is warranted, as well as explore intervention-based treatments to improve mental health outcomes for women with CPP.