Coping, Depression, Anxiety, Self-Efficacy and Social Support: Impact on Adjustment to Chronic Pain

Maria Alexandra Ferreira Valente; José Luís Pais Ribeiro; Mark P. Jensen

doi:10.24310/espsiescpsi.v2i3.13382

Authors

Maria Alexandra Ferreira Valente Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto, Portugal & Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/40956/2007) Portugal
José Luís Pais Ribeiro Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto Portugal
Mark P. Jensen University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/espsiescpsi.v2i3.13382

Keywords:

Chronic Pain, Coping, Mood, Attributions, Social Support

Abstract

Pain is a multidimensional, unique, and private experience. Contemporary biopsychosocial models of chronic pain hypothesize a key role for psychosocial factors as contributing to the experience of and adjustment to chronic pain. The psychosocial factors that have been most often examined as they relate to chronic pain include coping responses, attributions (such as self-efficacy), mood (including depression and anxiety), and social support. Knowledge concerning the relative importance of each of these factors to adjustment is necessary for understanding and developing effective psychosocial interventions. This article reviews the literature concerning the associations between psychosocial factors and adjustment to chronic pain, with a focus on coping, attributions, mood, and social support. Overall, the findings of this research are consistent with biopsychosocial models of chronic pain, and support continued research to help identify the causal relationships among key psychosocial variables and adjustment.

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