Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
When pain remains: Appraisals and adaptation
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.
2007 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

As the number one cause of sick absenteeism and disability pension, musculoskeletal pain is considered a major health problem in Sweden and many other industrialized countries. Medical findings are often insufficient to explain the pain’s intensity or duration, and psychological factors are known to be important in understanding the aetiology and maintenance of pain. The current thesis examines the relationship between non-specific chronic musculoskeletal pain and cognitions, emotions and behaviours. In Study I, chronic pain patients were interviewed about pain experiences and the results indicated that some patients use psychological defences to deal with chronic pain. Study II was an experimental approach set up to study the association between chronic pain and selective memory. In a pictorial memory game, no differences were found between patients and controls in the neutral game. In the pain-related game patients decreased – and controls improved – their performance, a finding discussed in terms of cognitive avoidance. Study III used questionnaire and register data to examine the predictive value of psychosocial variables on sustained pain-related sick absenteeism and the results showed sense of mastery and recovery beliefs to be especially important. The studies are discussed in terms of emotional and defensive coping and it is suggested that defences can be related to excessive activity, which may increase the risk of future relapses. It was suggested that an increased acceptance of pain, at both an individual and a societal level – would favour rehabilitation and return-to-work for those suffering from persistent pain.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Psykologiska institutionen , 2007.
Series
Stockholm studies in psychology, ISSN 0585-3591
Keywords [en]
Chronic pain, musculoskeletal disorders, appraisals, coping, cognitive avoidance, identity, cognitive bias, psychological defences, acceptance, sick absenteeism.
National Category
Psychology
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-6992ISBN: 978-91-7155-479-6 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-6992DiVA, id: diva2:197426
Public defence
2007-09-14, David Magnussonsalen (U31), hus 8, Frescati Hagväg 8, Stockholm, 10:00
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2007-08-13 Created: 2007-08-13Bibliographically approved
List of papers
1. Appraisals and coping processes among chronic low back pain patients
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Appraisals and coping processes among chronic low back pain patients
2005 In: Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, ISSN 0283-9318, Vol. 19, no 4, p. 396-402Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-24384 (URN)
Note
Part of urn:nbn:se:su:diva-6992Available from: 2007-08-13 Created: 2007-08-13Bibliographically approved
2. Visuospatial and verbal memory in chronic pain patients: An explorative study
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Visuospatial and verbal memory in chronic pain patients: An explorative study
2006 In: Pain Practice, ISSN 1530-7085, Vol. 6, no 3, p. 179-185Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-24385 (URN)
Note
Part of urn:nbn:se:su:diva-6992Available from: 2007-08-13 Created: 2007-08-13Bibliographically approved
3. Self-efficacy beliefs predict sustained long-term sick absenteeism in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Self-efficacy beliefs predict sustained long-term sick absenteeism in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain
2007 (English)In: Pain Practice, ISSN 1530-7085, E-ISSN 1533-2500, Vol. 7, no 3, p. 234-240Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Recovery beliefs are assumed to predict rehabilitation outcomes and return-to-work in various clinical conditions but are less frequently assessed in musculoskeletal disorders. We tested the hypothesis that recovery beliefs constitute a risk factor for sustained long-term sick absenteeism in men and women suffering from nonspecific chronic musculoskeletal disorders. A total of 233 subjects with a recent or ongoing experience of long-term sick leave were included in a prospective design. Subjects answered a postal baseline questionnaire and were followed up via register data for 1 year. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that subjects with negative recovery beliefs (OR: 2.41; CI: 1.22–4.77), low sense of mastery (OR: 2.08; CI: 1.27–3.40), perceived high mental demands at work (OR: 1.77; CI: 1.05–2.99), and prior experiences of long-term sick absenteeism (OR: 1.86; CI: 1.02–3.37) had an increased probability of receiving sickness benefits at follow-up. We conclude that prolonged sickness absence contributes strongly to increase patients' sense of helplessness, lower self-efficacy, and hinder future work return. To improve work return, patients' maladaptive beliefs should be clarified and challenged early in the rehabilitation process.

Keywords
musculoskeletal disorders recovery beliefs return-to-work self-efficacy sickness absence
National Category
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-24386 (URN)10.1111/j.1533-2500.2007.00134.x (DOI)
Note
Part of urn:nbn:se:su:diva-6992Available from: 2007-08-13 Created: 2007-08-13 Last updated: 2022-02-25Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(371 kB)1935 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT01.pdfFile size 371 kBChecksum MD5
b14bfafb7882eb02f9c7b3213a6a1171ded46441296bd5ed48c4976630dc45461267d984
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

By organisation
Department of Psychology
Psychology

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Total: 1935 downloads
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

isbn
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

isbn
urn-nbn
Total: 3097 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf