Cut‐off scores of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale‐8: Implications for improving the management of chronic pain

Abstract Aim Mental distress, non‐specific symptoms of depression and anxiety, is common in chronic pelvic pain (CPP). It contributes to poor recovery. Women's health nurses operate in multidisciplinary teams to facilitate the assessment and treatment of CPP. However, valid cut‐off points for identifying highly distressed patients are lacking, entailing a gap in CPP management. Design This instrumental cross‐sectional study identified a statistically derived cut‐off score for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale‐8 (DASS‐8) among 214 Australian women with CPP (mean age = 33.3, SD = 12.4, range = 13–71 years). Methods Receiver operator characteristic curve, decision trees and K‐means clustering techniques were used to examine the predictive capacity of the DASS‐8 for psychiatric comorbidity, pain severity, any medication intake, analgesic intake and sexual abuse. The study is prepared according to the STROBE checklist. Results Cut‐off points resulting from the analysis were ordered ascendingly. The median (13.0) was chosen as an optimal cut‐off score for predicting key outcomes. Women with DASS‐8 scores below 15.5 had higher analgesic intake. Conclusion CPP women with a DASS‐8 score above 13.0 express greater pain severity, psychiatric comorbidity and polypharmacy. Thus, they may be a specific target for nursing interventions dedicated to alleviating pain through the management of associated co‐morbidities. Implications for patient care At a cut‐off point of 13.0, the DASS‐8 may be a practical instrument for recommending a thorough clinician‐based examination for psychiatric comorbidity to facilitate adequate CPP management. It may be useful for evaluating patients' response to nursing pain management efforts. Replications of the study in different populations/countries are warranted.