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Cited by 113Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationPediatric Pain Management TechniquesPain Management and Placebo Effect

Pain-related catastrophizing and perceived social responses: inter-relationships in the context of chronic pain

Open access
Buenaver, Luis F., Edwards, Robert R., Haythornthwaite, Jennifer A.·2007·Pain
DOI 10.1016/j.pain.2006.08.018PMC PMC1866270
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Abstract

Pain-related coping, particularly catastrophizing, plays a significant role in shaping pain responses. One way catastrophizing is hypothesized to amplify pain and disability is via its effect on patients' social environments (e.g., communal coping model), though empirical support is limited. The present study tested whether the association between catastrophizing and deleterious pain-related outcomes was mediated by patients' perceptions of significant others' responses to their pain in a sample of 1356 pain patients. Regression analyses showed that perceived significant other punishing responses partially mediated catastrophizing's relationship with pain-related disability, and with depressive symptoms. Further, several variables moderated the association between catastrophizing and perceived social responses to pain. Catastrophizing was more strongly associated with greater perceived solicitous responses for patients of relatively short pain duration. Also, higher catastrophizing was more strongly associated with perceived punishing responses among patients perceiving lower social support. In addition, the mediational effects of perceived punishing responses on catastrophizing's relationship with depressive symptoms, and with pain-related disability were only found in individuals reporting low levels of perceived social support. In sum, perceived social responses were found to play a small role in mediating the relationship between catastrophizing and pain-related outcomes, and these mediational effects may be strongest in particular patient subgroups. The present data suggest that interpersonal mechanisms may not constitute a primary route by which catastrophizing exerts its maladaptive effects on pain responses. The study and further understanding of what principal factors mediate catastrophizing's deleterious effects on pain will be important in illuminating the biopsychosocial model of pain.

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  • Punishing spouse responses are more typically related to depressive symptoms and affective distress rather than to pain severity and disability.

    “Rather than related to pain severity and disability, punishing spouse responses are more typically related to depressive symptoms and affective distress96 rather than to pain severity and disability.”

    From <p>Pain and Evil: From Local Nociception to Misery Following Social Harm</p> (2020) · cites this paper as [96]

    Table 1 (Methods §2.4; page unavailable) shows a stronger correlation between punishing responses and depressive symptoms (0.34) than with pain severity (0.14) or pain interference (0.23). But Results §3.1 says punishing responses were also positively related to pain severity and interference, so the source does not support the sentence’s implication that they are unrelated to those outcomes. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • A positive association has been documented between depression and catastrophism.

    “A positive association has been documented between depression and catastrophism [4]”

    From Effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy for the treatment of catastrophisation in patients with fibromyalgia: A randomised controlled trial (2011) · cites this paper as [4]

  • Interpersonal mechanisms may not play a significant role in the development of pain catastrophising.

    “It has been demonstrated that interpersonal mechanisms may not play a significant role in its development [4]”

    From Effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy for the treatment of catastrophisation in patients with fibromyalgia: A randomised controlled trial (2011) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Abstract and Discussion address whether perceived social responses mediate catastrophizing’s effects on pain outcomes, not whether interpersonal mechanisms contribute to the development of catastrophizing. A search for development and origins found no passage in our copy addressing that question. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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  • Depression, anxiety, and emotional distress contribute strongly, often more strongly than pain intensity, to long-term persistent pain outcomes including physical disability, work disability, healthcare costs, mortality, and suicide.

    “there is a wealth of evidence that symptoms of depression, anxiety, and emotional distress contribute strongly (more strongly than pain intensity, in many studies) to key long-term outcomes of persistent pain such as physical disability 35, 43–46, work disability 47, healthcare costs 48, 49, mortality 50–53, and suicide 22, 54, 55.”

    From Evaluating psychosocial contributions to chronic pain outcomes (2018) · cites this paper as [47]

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [10]10. Flor H, Breitenstein C, Birbaumer N, F++rst M. A psychophysiological analysis of spouse solicitousness towards pain behaviors, spouse interaction, and pain perception. Behav Ther. 1995;26:255–272. [[Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=Behav%20Ther&title=A%20psychophysiological%20analysis%20of%20spouse%20solicitousness%20towards%20pain%20behaviors,%20spouse%20interaction,%20and%20pain%20perception&author=H%20Flor&author=C%20Breitenstein&author=N%20Birbaumer&author=M%20F++rst&volume=26&publication_year=1995&pages=255-272&)]
  2. [33]33. Turk DC, Rudy TE. Cognitive factors and persistent pain: A glimpse into Pandora’s box. Cognit Ther Res. 1992;16:99–122. [[Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=Cognit%20Ther%20Res&title=Cognitive%20factors%20and%20persistent%20pain:%20A%20glimpse%20into%20Pandora%E2%80%99s%20box&author=DC%20Turk&author=TE%20Rudy&volume=16&publication_year=1992&pages=99-122&)]

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Authors
Buenaver, L. F., Edwards, R. R., & Haythornthwaite, J. A.
Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University (US)
Corresponding author
Buenaver, Luis F.
ORCID
Venue
Pain
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2007-02
Volume
127
Issue
3
Pages
234-242
ISSN
0304-3959 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.pain.2006.08.018
PMC
PMC1866270
OpenAlex
W1966767544
Cited by
113
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 9
FWCI
4.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Pain (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (7k23ar051315-05)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (K24NS002225)
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (K23-AR051315)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (F32DE017282)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
Keywords
pain catastrophizing, chronic pain, pain-related disability, depressive symptoms, social support, pain duration, biopsychosocial model of pain, mediation
MeSH terms
Adult, Anxiety, Chronic Disease, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Pain, Perception, Social Adjustment, United States, Comorbidity

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