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Chronic pain coping measures: individual vs. composite scores
Mark P Jensen1, Judith A Turner, Joan M Romano
1Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (RJ-30), University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195 USA Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (RP-10), University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195 USA Multidisciplinary Pain Center (RC-95), University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98195 USA.
Pain
|December 1, 1992
Summary
Individual coping strategies, not composite scores, better predict adjustment in chronic pain patients. Understanding specific coping mechanisms is key for improving patient outcomes and functioning.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Coping strategies are crucial for adaptation in chronic pain patients.
- Composite indices of coping are commonly used but may mask individual strategy effects.
- Understanding specific coping mechanisms is vital for effective pain management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the predictive power of composite coping measures versus individual coping scales for adjustment in chronic pain.
- To determine if specific coping strategies offer more insight into patient functioning than aggregated scores.
- To identify the utility of individual coping scales in understanding the impact of coping on adjustment.
Main Methods:
- 141 chronic pain patients completed the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
- Factor analysis was used to create composite coping measures from CSQ data.
- The predictive ability of both composite scores and individual CSQ scales on adjustment measures (SIP, BDI) was compared.
Main Results:
- Individual coping scales provided significantly more information regarding the relationship between coping and adjustment than composite measures.
- Specific coping strategies, when examined individually, offered a clearer picture of their impact on patient functioning.
- Composite scores were less effective than individual scales in elucidating the nuances of coping and adjustment.
Conclusions:
- Individual coping scales are superior to composite measures for predicting adjustment in chronic pain.
- Utilizing individual coping scale scores can better identify specific coping strategies that influence adjustment outcomes.
- This research highlights the importance of granular analysis of coping strategies for targeted interventions in chronic pain management.