Age Moderates the Relationships between Family Functioning and Neck Pain/Disability

Area of Science:

• Clinical Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science
• Psychosocial Factors in Health

Background:

• Chronic neck pain affects a significant population, impacting quality of life.
• The interplay between psychosocial factors like family support and coping mechanisms in chronic pain is not fully understood.
• Older adults may experience unique challenges with chronic pain due to potentially fewer resources and greater reliance on social support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between family functioning, coping styles, and neck pain intensity and disability.
• To examine the potential moderating role of age in these relationships.
• To determine if family functioning and coping styles predict neck pain outcomes in women with chronic non-traumatic neck pain.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 88 women with chronic non-traumatic neck pain.
• Utilized validated questionnaires: Family Assessment Measure (FAM), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Visual-Analogue Scale (VAS).
• Employed correlational and hierarchical stepwise regression analyses to assess relationships and age as a moderator.

Main Results:

• Good family functioning was significantly correlated with lower neck disability (NDI) and pain intensity (VAS).
• Coping styles (CISS) did not show a significant correlation with neck disability or pain intensity.
• Age moderated the relationship between family functioning and neck pain outcomes, with a stronger association observed in older women.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced family functioning is associated with reduced neck pain and disability in women with chronic non-traumatic neck pain.
• The positive impact of family functioning on pain outcomes is particularly pronounced in older women.
• Coping styles, as measured by CISS, were not found to be a significant factor in this cohort's neck pain experience.