Life satisfaction and musculoskeletal complaints in a population seeking osteopathy care: consecutive sample of 611 patients

• Main Authors: Brett Vaughan, Jane Mulcahy, Thomas Allen, Emi Coupe, David Gobbo, Leila Nasser, Karen Pain, Kylie Fitzgerald
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2020-03-01
• Series: Chiropractic & Manual Therapies
• Subjects: Patient report outcome measure; Osteopathic medicine; Satisfaction with life
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12998-020-00303-y

Abstract Background Life satisfaction is a component of the subjective well-being construct. Research consistently suggests that life satisfaction is associated with enhanced social benefits and improved health outcomes. However, its relationship to musculoskeletal health outcomes is underexplored. This study evaluates the life satisfaction of a patient population presenting with musculoskeletal complaints, and the relationship of life satisfaction with other health demographics and behaviours. Method The study used a consecutive sampling design. Patients attending the Victoria University Osteopathy Clinic (Melbourne, Australia) were invited to complete the PROMIS® General Life Satisfaction scale (GLSS) along with questions related to health demographics and behaviours. Results The GLSS T-score was not significantly different for gender, being born outside of Australia, speaking English at home, or complaint chronicity. Conclusions Life satisfaction did not appear to be related to a range of health and demographic variables in the current musculoskeletal pain cohort. The PROMIS® General Life Satisfaction scale could prove useful to explore the relationship between life satisfaction and treatment outcomes for musculoskeletal complaints.