Article

PURPOSE: To investigate the interactions between self-efficacy - including
subcomponents - and symptoms (pain, depression and anxiety), catastrophising,
disability, quality of life and health in a population of patients with chronic
pain. METHOD: The study used 433 patients with chronic pain including 47 patients
with spinal cord injury-related pain, 150 patients with chronic
whiplash-associated disorders and 236 patients with fibromyalgia. The
participants answered a postal questionnaire that provided background data, pain
intensity and duration and psychological- and health-related variables. RESULTS:
In the multivariate context, depression, anxiety, catastrophising and disability
were intercorrelated. Self-efficacy correlated positively with variables of
quality of life and general health. These two groups of variables were negatively
correlated. The pain variables - duration of pain, pain intensity and spreading
of pain - formed a third group of variables. Self-efficacy function was
negatively correlated to these three pain variables. When regressing disability,
quality of life and health, we found that self-efficacy had a positive impact
whereas symptoms, catastrophising and pain had a negative influence on these
aspects. Different patterns of influencing variables were discerned for the three
different analyses, and specific patterns of the subscales of self-efficacy
corresponded to specific patterns of negative factors for the outcome of
disability, quality of life and health. CONCLUSION: There is a complex
interaction of psychological factors and symptoms and their positive and negative
influence on disability, quality of life and health. The results indicate that it
might be important to assess and influence both enhancing and detoriating factors
to ensure an effective pain management programme.

Langue : ANGLAIS