The Role of Positive Psychological Factors in the Association between Pain Intensity and Pain Interference in Individuals with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

This study aimed to test the cross-sectional mediating and moderating role that positive psychological factors play in the association between pain intensity and pain interference in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain. A descriptive cross-sectional study using mediation analyses was conducted, including 186 individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain. We conducted cross-sectional mediation and moderation analyses to determine whether the positive psychological factors mediated or moderated the association between pain intensity and pain interference. Pain acceptance, pain self-efficacy, and optimism were all significantly and weakly related to pain interference when controlling for pain intensity. Pain self-efficacy and pain acceptance partially mediated the association between pain intensity and pain interference. On the other hand, the multiple mediation model did not show significant effects. The three positive psychological factors were not found to significantly moderate the association between pain intensity and pain interference. The findings suggest that in chronic musculoskeletal pain patients, the treatments may focus on [i] what they are capable of doing to manage the pain (i.e., pain self-efficacy) and [ii] being better able to accept the pain as pain waxes and wanes might be also particularly helpful. However, these results must be tested in longitudinal studies before drawing any causal conclusion.

Digital pain extent is associated with pain intensity but not with pain-related cognitions and disability in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional study

“…This cross-sectional study followed the same methodology as a previous cross-sectional study which evaluated the role that psychological protective factors play in chronic pain intensity and pain interference [ 26 ]. Ethical approval was granted by the local Ethics Committee.…”

“…Ethical approval was granted by the local Ethics Committee. Detailed information about study design, participants and setting, and eligibility criteria can be consulted elsewhere [ 26 ].…”

Pain Empathy and Its Association with the Clinical Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients

“…36 Considering that pain catastrophizing is an important risk factor in shaping empathy in KOA patients, it should be treated via cognitive-emotional therapeutic approaches that target patients' exaggerated attitudes toward pain and reduce pain symptoms in patients. 37 Among the IRI subscales, KOA patients displayed higher personal distress scores than HCs, indicating that KOA patients experienced an amplified degree of self-oriented distress and heightened levels of anxiety and discomfort in the face of other people in need. Moreover, KOA patients with severe pain reported even greater personal distress.…”

Virtual Reality-Based Exercise Therapy for Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Scoping Review

“…Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a debilitating health condition affecting up to a third of the population on a worldwide scale [1,2]. The clinical presentation of the individuals experiencing CMP is usually accompanied by a disability, sleep disturbances, physical inactivity, and a spectrum of cognitive and emotional factors, such as fear-avoidant behaviors, pain catastrophizing, anxiety, and depression [3][4][5][6]. The complex interactions of the aforementioned factors perpetuate the persistence of the painful experience affecting dramatically the quality of life of CMP patients, while at the same time, the consequences on healthcare and social burden cannot be ignored [1,7].…”