Burns JW, Janssen I, Lillis T, et al. - In view of the implications of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and other negative psychosocial factors in the transition from acute to persistent pain, researchers here followed 375 women who presented to an inner-city emergency department (ED) with complaints of acute pain for 3 months. Using latent class growth analyses, they found a 3-trajectory solution, which identified 3 groups of participants; one group (early recovery; n = 93) with recovery to virtually no pain by the initial visit; the second group (delayed recovery; n = 120) with recovery to no pain only after 1 month; the third group (no recovery; n = 162) still reported raised pain at 3 months after the ED visit. Results suggest that in women with high levels of PTSD symptoms, anger, sleep disturbance, and low social support who experience an acute pain episode serious enough to prompt an ED visit, elevated pain at this pain site may remain for at least 3 months. Such an array of factors may increase the risk of developing persistent pain in these women following acute pain.