According to the findings of an exploratory, cross-sectional study, females were more directly impacted by depressive symptoms compared to males, regarding pain interference and intensity. Pain catastrophizing was a crucial factor affecting chronic pain for both females and males. The current study investigated variables related to clinical pain interference and intensity in 220 people suffering from rheumatic disease-related chronic secondary musculoskeletal pain.

Estimation of biological factors (comorbidity, pain sensitivity, duration of pain, pain condition, biological sex, age), socioeconomic factors, psychological factors (depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing), and pain intensity and interference was done. Analyses of partial correlation, multivariable linear regression, and descriptive data were performed. To investigate the differences in how various factors affect the pain experience, subgroup analysis by sex was carried out. The participants' ages, which ranged from 22 to 78, were 52.3 years on average (Standard deviation [SD] = 12.07).

The average total pain interference score was 21.07 (0-70), and the average intensity of pain was 3.01 (0-10 scale). Using partial correlation, it was discovered that there were positive relationships between the intensity of pain and interference with depression (intensity: R = 0.224; interference: R = 0.351) and pain catastrophizing (intensity: R = 0.520; interference: R = 0.464). Pain catastrophizing (R = 0.480) and pain condition (β= -0.249) were linked to the severity of pain in males. In males, pain catastrophizing was the primary factor in the connection between pain severity and depression (R = 0.519).

Pain catastrophizing was the primary factor in the connection between pain severity and depression (R = 0.519) in males. In females, pain severity was independently correlated with pain catastrophizing (R = 0.536) and depressive symptoms (R = 0.228). In contrast to females, who were more likely to experience depressive symptoms (R = 0.439) and pain catastrophizing (R = 0.403), age (β= -0.251) and pain catastrophizing (R = 0.609) were linked with pain interference in males.

In males, pain catastrophizing was the key factor in the connection between pain interference and depression (R = 0.455). On the basis of these findings, a sex-specific approach to the biopsychosocial model must be taken into consideration to understand and manage pain among Asians suffering from chronic secondary musculoskeletal pain.