Chronic pain acceptance and affective well-being: a coping perspective

This study examined the relationship between chronic pain acceptance and affective well-being from a coping perspective. One hundred-fifty patients from a multidisciplinary pain centre provided self-report data including measures of pain acceptance, positive and negative affect, and accommodative flexibility. The bivariate and multiple correlation patterns were consistent with the assumption that pain willingness (the attitudinal component of pain acceptance including the recognition of the uncontrollability of pain) primarily reduces negative affect, whereas activity engagement (the behavioural component of pain acceptance including the pursuit of life activities despite pain) additionally produces positive affect. The data furthermore suggested activity engagement as a mediating link between pain willingness and positive affect. Moderation analyses showed that accommodative flexibility (the general readiness to adjust personal goals to situational constraints) facilitates both pain willingness and activity engagement--especially when average pain intensity is high. In sum, the results support the view that chronic pain patients' well-being is closely tied to the maintenance of life activities which presupposes an accepting attitude towards pain.