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Passive coping is a risk factor for disabling neck or low back pain.
Annalyn C Mercado1, Linda J Carroll, J David Cassidy
1FIT for Active Living Program, 8th Floor, Saskatoon City Hospital, 701 Queen Street, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7K 0M7. annalyn.mercado@saskatoonhealthregion.ca
Pain
|July 27, 2005
Summary
Passive coping strategies significantly predict the development of disabling neck and low back pain. Identifying individuals with passive coping can help target interventions for disability prevention.
Area of Science:
- Pain management and disability research
- Psychosocial factors in chronic pain
Background:
- Coping mechanisms are recognized as important in pain research.
- The predictive role of coping strategies in the development of disabling pain remained unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between coping strategies and the onset of disabling neck and/or low back pain.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 571 adults with non-disabling neck/low back pain was followed for 12 months.
- Coping was assessed using the Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory.
- Cox proportional hazards regression analyzed passive coping as a predictor of disabling pain.
Main Results:
- Passive coping emerged as a significant independent risk factor for disabling pain.
- Moderate to high levels of passive coping increased the risk of disabling pain over five-fold.
- Active coping strategies did not demonstrate a significant association with developing disabling pain.
Conclusions:
- Passive coping is a robust predictor of disabling neck and low back pain.
- Passive coping serves as a valuable risk marker for disability.
- Early identification of passive coping can guide interventions to improve patient adjustment and prevent disability.