Cited by 260Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationAttachment and Relationship DynamicsPsychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

The relationship of attachment style to depression, catastrophizing and health care utilization in patients with chronic pain

Ciechanowski, Paul, Sullivan, Mark, Jensen, Mark, Romano, Joan, Summers, Heidi·2003·Pain

Abstract

Attachment theory and research suggest that patterns of interpersonal relationships may be important determinants of illness behavior, care seeking, and treatment response in individuals with chronic health problems, including chronic pain. Attachment styles have been shown to be associated with psychological adjustment in the context of chronic illness, but little research has been conducted so far examining these relationships in patients with chronic pain. We assessed 111 patients with chronic pain participating in a multidisciplinary pain treatment program to determine if attachment style is associated with pain, depression, catastrophizing and physical disability at pre-treatment and 12-month follow-up, and with change in health care utilization pre-treatment to follow-up. At both pre-treatment and follow-up, fearful attachment style was associated with significantly greater depression and catastrophizing, and secure attachment was associated with significantly lower levels of depression. Preoccupied attachment style was associated with greater than weekly pain-related visits at 12 months follow-up, even after controlling for depression, catastrophizing and pre-treatment pain-related health care utilization. The findings suggest that attachment style may be a useful construct for examining factors affecting adjustment and treatment response of patients with chronic pain.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0304-3959(03)00120-9

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64 of 64 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Depressed patients with a chronic medical illness are usually sicker than their counterparts.

    “Depressed patients with a chronic medical illness are usually sicker than their counterparts37–46 and have lower treatment adherence.37,47–51”

    From Anxiety and Depression in COPD (2008) · cites this paper as [39]

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Authors
Ciechanowski, P., Sullivan, M., Jensen, M., Romano, J., & Summers, H.
Affiliations
University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Ciechanowski, Paul
Venue
Pain
Published
2003-08
Volume
104
Issue
3
Pages
627-637
ISSN
0304-3959 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2029650441
Cited by
260
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 17
FWCI
5.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Pain (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS031638, R01 NS31638)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
Keywords
attachment styles, chronic pain, depression, pain catastrophizing, health care utilization, fearful attachment, secure attachment, preoccupied attachment, multidisciplinary pain management, physical disability, psychological adjustment
MeSH terms
Adult, Chronic Disease, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Object Attachment, Pain, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Logistic Models

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