Coping style influences compliance with multidisciplinary pain management

J Health Psychol. 2002 Nov;7(6):665-73. doi: 10.1177/1359105302007006870.

Abstract

The treatment of chronic pain disorders has become multifaceted in recognition of the complexities of chronic pain. However, few models have emerged to predict patients' response to treatment. This study examined a path model of pain treatment outcome, incorporating the variables of coping style and treatment compliance. Results indicated that the suppression of negative emotion was associated with greater treatment compliance, whereas amplification of negative emotion was found to be associated with poorer treatment compliance. An aggressive coping style was found to be associated with poor treatment compliance. In turn, poor compliance predicted poor pre-/post-treatment functional capacity. Moreover, a path model incorporating compliance as a mediator between coping styles and functional impairment revealed an excellent model fit when compared to a path model with no mediators.