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Pain beliefs mediate relations between general resilience and dysfunction from chronic back pain
Shuanghong Chen1, Todd Jackson1
1Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality.
Rehabilitation Psychology
|September 14, 2018
Summary
Psychological resilience and specific pain beliefs, such as pain self-efficacy and lower pain catastrophizing, help manage chronic back pain dysfunction. These factors are key for improving quality of life despite ongoing pain.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Pain Management
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Chronic back pain affects many, yet some maintain high quality of life.
- Resilient individuals may perceive pain and coping abilities differently, reducing dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between psychological resilience, pain beliefs, and pain-related dysfunction in chronic back pain.
- To test if resilience influences how individuals appraise pain and their self-efficacy in managing it.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 307 mainland Chinese adults with chronic back pain.
- Self-report measures assessed psychological resilience, pain beliefs (challenge appraisals, self-efficacy, catastrophizing), and pain-related dysfunction (intensity, disability, distress, depression).
Main Results:
- Higher psychological resilience correlated with appraising pain as a challenge, greater pain self-efficacy, and less pain catastrophizing.
- Resilience, pain self-efficacy, and pain catastrophizing were significantly linked to reduced pain-related dysfunction.
- Pain appraisals as a challenge did not directly relate to dysfunction.
Conclusions:
- Psychological resilience impacts chronic back pain dysfunction through specific pain beliefs.
- Pain self-efficacy and reduced pain catastrophizing are crucial mediators.
- Assessment and treatment should incorporate beliefs about personal pain management effectiveness.
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