Demographics and variables of interest at baseline
| Characteristic | No pain N=371 (49%) | Moderate–extreme pain N=384 (51%) | Total N=755 (100%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||
| Mean (SD) | 39.9 (11.58) | 46.83 (14.11) | 43.5 (13.37) |
| Median (mininun, maximum) | 39 (18, 75) | 46 (18, 93) | 43 (18, 93) |
| IQR (25%, 75%) | 31, 48 | 38, 56 | 33, 53 |
| Missing | — | — | — |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 88 (23.7%) | 113 (29.4%) | 201 (26.6%) |
| Female | 283 (76.3%) | 271 (70.6%) | 554 (73.4%) |
| Missing | — | — | — |
| Age left education | |||
| Mean (SD) | 18.3 (3.90) | 17.53 (4.61) | 18.0 (4.37) |
| Median (minimum, maximum) | 17.0 (13, 52) | 16 (14, 54) | 16 (13–54) |
| IQR (25%, 75%) | 16, 21 | 16, 18 | 16, 19 |
| Missing | — | — | — |
| Employment | |||
| Full-time education | 13 (3.5%) | 10 (2.6%) | 23 (3.1%) |
| Working full-time | 167 (45%) | 114 (29.7%) | 281 (37%) |
| Working part-time | 83 (22.4%) | 61 (15.9%) | 144 (19.5%) |
| Unable to work | 19 (5.1%) | 76 (19.8%) | 95 (12.9%) |
| Looking after home | 41 (11.1%) | 42 (10.9%) | 83 (11%) |
| Retired | 14 (3.8%) | 51 (13.3%) | 65 (8.8%) |
| Other | 26 (7%) | 22 (5.7%) | 48 (6.5%) |
| Missing | 8 (2.1%) | 8 (2.1%) | 16 (2.1%) |
| Painful health or medical condition | |||
| Current painful health or medical condition | 41 (12.7%) | 299 (77.9%) | 346 (45.8%) |
| Onset before depression | 32 (8.6%) | 216 (56.2%) | 248 (32.8%) |
| Missing | 2 (0.5%) | 4 (1%) | 6 (0.8%) |
| Type of health problem | |||
| Musculoskeletal | 21 (6%) | 221 (58%) | 242 (32%) |
| Other | 27 (7%) | 81 (21%) | 108 (14%) |
| No health problem | 321 (87%) | 81 (21% | 402 (53%) |
| SF-36 bodily pain | |||
| Mean (SD) | 76.97 (22.53) | 39.03 (22.5) | 57.6 (28.44) |
| Median (minimum, maximum) | 77.5 (12, 100) | 41 (0, 100) | 52 (0, 100) |
| IQR (25%, 75%) | 62, 100 | 22, 51 | 32, 84 |
| Missing | 3 (0.39%) | 1 (1.3%) | 4 (0.5%) |
| Depression | |||
| In the past 2 weeks | 264 (71.2%) | 310 (80.7%) | 574 (76.1%) |
| Missing | 2 (0.5%) | 10 (2.6%) | 12 (1.6%) |
| Not first major episode | 240 (64.7%) | 273 (71.1%) | 513 (67.9%) |
| Missing | 108 (29.1%) | 82 (21.3%) | 190 (25.2%) |
| 4+ previous episodes | 162 (43.7%) | 227 (59.1%) | 389 (51.5%) |
| Missing | 133 (35.8%) | 113 (29.4%) | 246 (32.6%) |
| Age at first major depressive episode | |||
| Mean (SD) | 24.89 (11.56) | 25.47 (12.9) | 25.2 (12–28) |
| Median (minimum, maximum) | 21 (6, 72) | 23 (0–79) | 22 (0–79) |
| IQR (25%, 75%) | 16, 32 | 16, 31 | 16, 31 |
| Missing | 7 (0.9%) | 9 (1.2%) | 16 (2.1%) |
| Medication | |||
| Depression medication in the past 3 months | 250 (67.3%) | 269 (70%) | 519 (68.7%) |
| Missing | — | — | — |
| Analgesic medication in the past 3 months | 114 (30.7%) | 245 (63.8%) | 359 (47.5%) |
| Missing | 4 (1%) | 2 (0.52%) | 6 (0.8%) |
| EQ-5D pain | |||
| No pain | 371 (49.1%) | 0 | 371 (49.1%) |
| Moderate pain or discomfort | 0 | 298 (77.6%) | 298 (39.5%) |
| Extreme pain or discomfort | 0 | 86 (22.4%) | 86 (11.4%) |
| Missing | 3 | 4 | 7 (0.9%) |
| EQ-5D anxiety/depression | |||
| Not anxious/depressed | 13 (3.5%) | 8 (2.1%) | 21 (2.8%) |
| Moderately anxious/depressed | 282 (76%) | 272 (70.8%) | 554 (73.4%) |
| Extremely anxious/depressed | 74 (19%) | 104 (27%) | 178 (23.6%) |
| Missing | 2 (0.5%) | 0 | 2 (0.3%) |
| EQ-5D mobility | |||
| No problems walking about | 361 (31%) | 234 (31%) | 595 (79%) |
| Some problems walking about | 9 (1.2%) | 148 (19.7%) | 157 (20.8%) |
| Confined to bed | 0 (0%) | 1 (0.1%) | 1 (0.1%) |
| Missing | — | — | — |
| EQ-5D self-care | |||
| No problems with self-care | 358 (47.5%) | 314 (41.7%) | 672 (89.2%) |
| Some problems with self-care | 11 (1.5%) | 68 (9%) | 79 (10.5%) |
| Unable to wash or dress | 1 (0.1%) | 1 (0.1%) | 2 (0.3%) |
| Missing | 1 (0.1%) | 1 (0.1%) | 2 (0.3%) |
| EQ-5D usual activities | |||
| No problems performing usual activities | 251 (33.2%) | 111 (14.7%) | 362 (48.1%) |
| Some problems performing usual activities | 115 (15.3%) | 247 (32.8%) | 115 (48.1%) |
| Unable to perform usual activities | 5 (0.7%) | 24 (3.2%) | 29 (3.9%) |
| Missing | 2 (0.3%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (0.3%) |
| PHQ-9 | |||
| Mean (SD) | 14.97 (5.15) | 17.0 (5.23) | 16.0 (5.29) |
| Median (minimum, maximum) | 15 (3, 27) | 17 (3, 27) | 16 (3–27) |
| IQR (25%, 75%) | 11, 19 | 13, 21 | 12, 20 |
| Missing | — | 1 (0.2%) | 1 (0.1%) |
| BDI–II | |||
| Mean (SD) | 31.32 (8.29) | 33.6 (8.9) | 32.5 (8.72) |
| BDI–II group | |||
| Moderate (20–28) | 155 (41.8%) | 129 (33.6%) | 284 (37.6%) |
| Severe (29–63) | 216 (52.8%) | 255 (66.4%) | 471 (62.4%) |
| Trial arm allocation | |||
| Acupuncture | 156 (20.7%) | 146 (19.3%) | 302 (40% |
| Counselling | 151 (20%) | 151 (20%) | 302 (40%) |
| Usual care | 64 (8.5%) | 87 (11.5%) | 151 (20%) |
| Missing | — | — | — |
| Expectation of treatment allocated | |||
| Very ineffective | 13 (3.5%) | 21 (9.6%) | 34 (4.5%) |
| Fairly ineffective | 39 (10.5%) | 57 (14.8%) | 96 (12.8%) |
| Cannot decide | 159 (42.9%) | 178 (46.4%) | 337 (44.9%) |
| Fairly effective | 122 (32.9%) | 87 (22.7) | 209 (27.8%) |
| Very effective | 38 (10.2%) | 37 (9.6%) | 75 (10.0%) |
| Missing | 0 | 4 (0.5%) | 4 (0.5%) |
| Treatment preference | |||
| Acupuncture | 196 (52.8%) | 234 (60.9%) | 430 (57.5%) |
| Counselling | 94 (25.3%) | 70 (18.2%) | 164 (21.9%) |
| Usual care | 3 (0.8%) | 7 (1.8%) | 10 (1.3%) |
| No preference | 76 (20.5%) | 68 (17.7%) | 144 (19.3%) |
| Missing | 2 (0.5%) | 5 (1.3%) | 7 (0.9%) |
PHQ, Patient Health Questionnaire.