Predictors of pain catastrophizing in women with rheumatoid arthritis

Catastrophizing has been conceptualized as an appraisal, a cognitive distortion, and a coping mechanism in the psychosocial literature. Regardless of its conceptualization, catastrophizing has been associated with negative psychological and physical outcomes in numerous studies, including our intervention study with 90 women with rheumatoid arthritis. Because of catastrophizing's robust relationship with negative outcomes, predictors of catastrophizing as a pain coping behavior were investigated in this sample, using data collected from two points in time before the intervention. Using Lazarus and Folkman's stress and coping theoretical framework to guide the analyses, variables with a proximal relationship to catastrophizing in the framework were examined for significant associations with pain catastrophizing using correlational analyses. Subsequent stepwise regression involving all variables from Time 1 with significant associations resulted in a model that explained 63% of the variance in Time 2 pain catastrophizing scores. The four predictors in this model were dispositional pessimism, passive pain coping, venting (as a pain coping behavior), and arthritis helplessness. Potential clinical implications related to these predictors are also discussed. Knowledge about predictors of catastrophizing may enhance efforts to address this maladaptive pattern through educational and therapeutic approaches.