Partners' Overestimation of Patients' Pain Severity: Relationships with Partners' Interpersonal Responses.

OBJECTIVES

The present study examined whether concordance between patients' and their partners' reports of patient pain severity relates to partners' social support and behavioral responses in couples coping with chronic pain.

METHODS

Fifty-two couples completed questionnaires about the patient's pain severity. Both dyad members also rated the partner's social support and negative, solicitous, and distracting responses toward the patient when in pain.

RESULTS

Bivariate correlations showed moderate correspondence between patient and partner ratings of pain severity (r = 0.55) and negative (r = 0.46), solicitous (r = 0.47), and distracting responses (r = 0.53), but lower correspondence for social support (r = 0.28). Twenty-eight couples (54%) were concordant in their perceptions of patient pain; partners overestimated pain in 14 couples (27%), and partners underestimated pain in 10 couples (19%). Couple concordance in pain perceptions was not related to patients' reports; however, it significantly predicted partners' reports: Partners who overestimated pain reported giving more social support (β = 0.383, P = 0.016), fewer negative responses (β = -0.332, P = 0.029), and more solicitous responses (β = 0.438, P = 0.016) than partners who were in agreement or who underestimated pain.

DISCUSSION

Partner overestimation of pain severity is associated with partner-reported but not with patient-reported support-related responses. This finding has important clinical implications for couple interventions in chronic pain.