Predicting readiness to self-manage pain

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Rehabilitation Psychology
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Multidisciplinary chronic pain treatment aims to enhance patient self-management.
• Understanding predictors of pain self-management readiness is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictors of readiness to self-manage chronic pain.
• To examine factors influencing intention (Precontemplation) and action (Action) in pain self-management.

Main Methods:

• 102 chronic pain patients from rehabilitation centers completed validated questionnaires.
• Assessed pain severity, interference, depression, anxiety, patient-physician relationship, locus of control, and self-efficacy.

Main Results:

• Beliefs about external pain control and low internal control predicted lower intention to self-manage.
• Physician information satisfaction uniquely predicted higher engagement in pain self-management strategies.

Conclusions:

• Perceptions of pain control and physician communication are key to motivating chronic pain self-management.
• Findings inform the Motivational Model of Pain Self-Management and suggest future research directions.