Abstract
Although research has shown that patients' beliefs about their pain are related to
pain adjustment and treatment outcomes, little is known about the beliefs of their
significant others. The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of pain beliefs
in significant others and to examine the correlates of these beliefs. Participants
were 104 married couples in which 1 partner reported chronic pain. Spouses completed
an amended version of the Survey of Pain Beliefs (SOPA). The scale development procedure
described in Jensen et al was used to select appropriate items for the significant
other version of the SOPA. This procedure yielded 7 subscales that closely resembled
the original SOPA. Spousal pain beliefs about disability, emotion, control, and medication
were significantly correlated with partners' pain severity and other indicators of
pain adjustment. Emotion, disability, and other beliefs were related to spouse responses
to pain, and spouses' depressive symptoms and marital dissatisfaction. Spouses' personal
experiences with pain were not related to their beliefs about their partners' pain.
Additional research on the pain-related beliefs of significant others may extend cognitive-behavioral
theory concerning the social context of pain and provide an additional avenue through
which clinicians can address cognition in patients and families.
Perspective
This study describes a new measure that can be used to assess significant others'
beliefs about their partners' pain problems. Little is known about the beliefs of
family members so this measure is expected to provide a way for clinicians and researchers
to assess and track changes in those beliefs.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 03, 2009
Accepted:
November 7,
2008
Received in revised form:
October 20,
2008
Received:
August 4,
2008
Footnotes
Supported by grant K01 MH 066975.
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
