Strategic self-presentation may enhance effects of interdisciplinary chronic pain treatment

Strategic self-presentation (SSP) is rooted in cognitive dissonance and self-perception theories, and holds that when a person presents him/herself as having certain attributes and publicly commits to having these attributes, then he or she may then begin to behave consistently with that presentation. SSP principles were integrated into an interdisciplinary chronic pain program to test whether self-presentation as a "good coper" made in a public context would increase pre- to posttreatment gains on measures of pain severity, interference, activity level, depression, pain self-efficacy, and coping.

Eighty-nine patients with chronic pain were assigned to either claim that they are coping well with pain (SSP-positive) or that they are having problems coping with pain (SSP-negative). This condition was crossed with public or private commitments.

Significant 2 SSP (positive, negative) × 2 Commitment (public, private) interactions were found for most pre- to posttreatment change scores such that the participants in the SSP-positive/Public condition reported greater improvements than other conditions on interference, depression, self-efficacy and positive coping. These effects were not accounted for by participant level of social desirability.

Results imply that publicly committing to coping well with chronic pain enhances adjustment to pain relative to other commitment conditions.