Student Research and Technology Committee, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Nursing, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
Musculoskeletal Care. 2024 Sep;22(3):e1923. doi: 10.1002/msc.1923.
Pain catastrophizing in patients with rheumatoid arthritis exacerbates negative pain-related outcomes, such as anxiety, depression, and pain intensity. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the severity of pain catastrophizing and the factors contributing to it among these patients. The present study aimed to assess the severity of pain catastrophizing and its association with cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy in a sample of Iranian patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
A descriptive correlational study was conducted on 220 rheumatoid patients referred to a rheumatology clinic affiliated with Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. The instruments used to collect data included a demographic form, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and the Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale. The data were analysed using SPSS version 24.
The mean age of the participants was 53.25 ± 12.41 years, and the mean duration of their disease was 6.63 ± 3.39 years. The majority of participants, specifically 61.8%, reported high levels of pain catastrophizing. An inverse and significant correlation was found between pain catastrophizing and cognitive flexibility (p < 0.001). Likewise, pain catastrophizing exhibited an inverse and significant correlation with self-efficacy and all its dimensions (p < 0.001). The results of the multiple linear regression analysis indicate that the final significant predictors of pain catastrophizing were cognitive flexibility (β = -0.34, p < 0.001) and self-efficacy (β = -0.53, p < 0.001). These predictors were found to significantly explain 51% of the variance in catastrophizing.
Through psychosocial interventions aimed at enhancing pain self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility, healthcare providers can hope to reduce pain catastrophizing and its adverse effects in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
类风湿关节炎患者的疼痛灾难化会加剧负面的疼痛相关结局，如焦虑、抑郁和疼痛强度。因此，有必要调查这些患者的疼痛灾难化严重程度及其相关因素。本研究旨在评估伊朗类风湿关节炎患者样本中疼痛灾难化的严重程度及其与认知灵活性和自我效能的关系。
这是一项描述性相关性研究，在伊朗比尔詹德大学医学科学附属医院的风湿科门诊招募了 220 名类风湿关节炎患者。用于收集数据的工具包括人口统计学表格、疼痛灾难化量表、认知灵活性量表和关节炎自我效能量表。使用 SPSS 版本 24 对数据进行分析。
参与者的平均年龄为 53.25±12.41 岁，疾病平均持续时间为 6.63±3.39 年。大多数参与者（具体来说为 61.8%）报告存在高度的疼痛灾难化。疼痛灾难化与认知灵活性呈负相关且具有统计学意义（p<0.001）。同样，疼痛灾难化与自我效能及其所有维度均呈负相关且具有统计学意义（p<0.001）。多元线性回归分析的结果表明，疼痛灾难化的最终显著预测因子是认知灵活性（β=-0.34，p<0.001）和自我效能（β=-0.53，p<0.001）。这些预测因子可以显著解释灾难化的 51%的方差。
通过旨在增强疼痛自我效能和认知灵活性的心理社会干预，医疗保健提供者有望减轻类风湿关节炎患者的疼痛灾难化及其不良影响。
