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The Relation of Self-Compassion to Functioning among Adults with Chronic Pain

Ashworth

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Abstract

Previous research has shown that self-compassion is associated with improved functioning and health outcomes among multiple chronic illnesses. However, the role of self-compassion in chronic pain-related functioning is understudied. The present study sought to understand the association between self-compassion and important measures of functioning within a sample of patients with chronic pain. Treatment-seeking individuals (N= 343 with chronic pain) that were mostly White (97.9%) and female (71%) completed a battery of assessments that included the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), as well as measures of pain-related fear, depression, disability, pain acceptance, success in valued activity, and use of pain coping strategies. Cross-sectional multiple regression analyses that controlled for age, sex, pain intensity, and pain duration, revealed that self-compassion accounted for a significant and unique amount of variance in all measures of functioning (r2 range: .07 – .32, all p < .001). Beta weights indicated that higher self-compassion was associated with lower pain-related fear, depression, and disability, as well as greater pain acceptance, success in valued activities, and utilization of pain coping strategies. These findings suggest that self-compassion may be a relevant adaptive process in those with chronic pain. Targeted interventions to improve self-compassion in those with chronic pain may be useful.

Acceptance Date May 21, 2019
Publication Date May 21, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal European Journal of Pain
Print ISSN 1090-3801
Publisher Wiley
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1429
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fejp.1429

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