Development and Initial Validation of the Activity Patterns Scale in Patients With Chronic Pain

Avoidance, pacing, or persistence in multidisciplinary functional rehabilitation for chronic musculoskeletal pain: An observational study with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses

“…Recent efforts have been made to take into account these criticisms. Esteve developed the “Activity Patterns Scale” including 3 pacing subscales differentiated by the goal of the behavior[74]. In this study, pacing for increasing activity levels or conserving energy for valued activities was positively associated with daily functioning, whereas pacing for pain reduction was not.…”

Optimism, Positive and Negative Affect, and Goal Adjustment Strategies: Their Relationship to Activity Patterns in Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

“…Traditionally, three activity patterns have been distinguished: avoidance, persistence, and pacing. However, more specific activity patterns have been identified in patients with chronic pain [ 6 , 7 ]. Avoidance has been divided into two patterns: (a) pain avoidance, which refers to avoidance behaviour in the presence or anticipation of changes in pain (e.g., “I stop what I am doing when my pain starts to get worse”), and (b) activity avoidance, which refers to the patients' condition of being in pain rather than the fluctuating pain experience (e.g., “I have not been able to carry on with my usual level of activity”).…”

“…Avoidance has been divided into two patterns: (a) pain avoidance, which refers to avoidance behaviour in the presence or anticipation of changes in pain (e.g., “I stop what I am doing when my pain starts to get worse”), and (b) activity avoidance, which refers to the patients' condition of being in pain rather than the fluctuating pain experience (e.g., “I have not been able to carry on with my usual level of activity”). Research has shown that activity avoidance is associated with poorer physical and psychological functioning, whereas pain avoidance is not related to patient adjustment [ 6 , 7 ]. Three types of persistence have been differentiated: (a) task-contingent persistence, in which patients persist in finishing tasks or activities despite pain (e.g., “Once I start an activity I keep going until it is done”); (b) excessive persistence, referring to doing too much, not respecting one's physical limits (e.g., “I find myself rushing to get everything done before I crash”); and (c) pain-contingent persistence, in which the level of activity fluctuates with and is determined by the pain at that moment (e.g., “When my pain decreases I try to be as active as possible”).…”

Nuevos abordajes para el tratamiento de la fibromialgia: una intervención positiva para la promoción del optimismo mediante la utilización de TICs

“…It is difficult for FMS sufferers to set goals related to activities that are positive and meaningful for them. Fear of movement, fatigue, low mood, and pain get in the way of their willingness to perform the activities, causing avoidance activity patterns and low motivation and persistence [78]. In the current study, we extended previous findings by higher levels of depression, anxiety and perceived stress, and lower levels of optimism and control 30 .…”

“…Chi-square tests showed no differences between the groups at pre-test in any A student t test revealed no differences between the groups regarding age (t 78 [69] = -1.0; p = 0.169) or years with pain (t [67] = -0.61; p = 0.543). Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups on any of the outcome variables, which indicated that the random assignment was successful.…”