Objective and design: A case-controlled retrospective design was used in the present investigation with adult women to explore the relationship between chronic and persistent back pain and a history of being raised by an alcoholic caretaker.
Participants: A sample of 112 females was obtained from a large university primary care health center. Fifty-nine back pain patients served as cases, while 53 females without histories of chronic pain served as controls.
Outcome measures: Outcome measures consisted of a seven-question physician back pain checklist. The independent variable, being raised by an alcoholic caretaker, was measured by the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST).
Results: Chronic back pain patients scored significantly higher than the nonpain group on the CAST.
Conclusions: The results suggest that additional research should explore and further define the relationship between a childhood history of being raised by an alcoholic parent and the development of chronic back pain as an adult.