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Do beliefs, coping, and catastrophizing independently predict functioning in patients with chronic pain?
J A Turner1, M P Jensen, J M Romano
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Box 356560, Seattle, USA. jturner@u.washington.edu
Pain
|February 29, 2000
Summary
Chronic pain patients' beliefs, catastrophizing, and coping strategies independently impact physical and psychosocial adjustment. Targeting these factors in treatment is crucial for improving patient outcomes and overall functioning.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Pain Management
Background:
- Physical and psychosocial disability in chronic pain patients are linked to pain beliefs, catastrophizing, and coping strategies.
- The independent contribution of these factors to patient adjustment remains unclear.
- Identifying specific, independently associated beliefs, cognitive responses, and coping strategies is vital for targeted treatment interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if pain-related beliefs, catastrophizing, and coping strategies are independently associated with physical and psychosocial functioning in chronic pain patients.
- To identify specific cognitive and behavioral factors that can be targeted for modification in pain treatment programs.
- To enhance understanding of patient adjustment in the context of chronic pain management.
Main Methods:
- 169 patients undergoing multidisciplinary pain treatment completed validated measures of pain, beliefs, coping, catastrophizing, physical disability, and depression.
- Principal components analysis was employed to derive belief and coping components.
- Multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the independent predictive power of these components on physical disability and depression.
Main Results:
- Pain-related belief scores significantly and independently predicted both physical disability and depression, even after controlling for demographic and clinical variables.
- Coping strategy scores independently predicted physical disability but not depression.
- Catastrophizing independently predicted depression but not physical disability.
Conclusions:
- Specific pain-related beliefs are significant independent predictors of both physical disability and depression in chronic pain patients.
- Coping strategies and catastrophizing also play independent roles, influencing physical disability and depression, respectively.
- These findings underscore the importance of targeting pain beliefs, coping strategies, and catastrophizing in multidisciplinary pain treatment programs to improve patient adjustment and functioning.