Reed David E, Day Melissa A, Ferreira-Valente Alexandra, Jensen Mark P
Department of Health Systems and Population Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care, VA Puget Sound Health Care, Seattle, WA, United States.
Pain Med. 2025 Jan 1;26(1):30-38. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnae091.
Chronic pain is a global health concern and often interferes with multiple aspects of individuals' lives (eg, physical activities), diminishing a person's ability to engage in activities that promote meaning in life. However, it is not well understood how believing that one can live a meaningful life despite pain could contribute to improved function among individuals with chronic pain. The aim of the present study was to better understand the role that belief in living a meaningful life despite pain might have on adjustment to chronic pain.
Participants (n = 164) were individuals with chronic pain who completed baseline data from 2 closely related randomized clinical trials. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine the hypotheses that one's belief in living a meaningful life despite pain will be associated with function (pain interference and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety) and that the belief in living a meaningful life despite pain would moderate the associations between pain intensity and function.
Belief in living a meaningful life despite pain was significantly associated with less pain interference and less severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, supporting the potential role of this variable in adaptive adjustment to chronic pain. However, one's belief in living a meaningful life despite pain did not moderate the associations between pain intensity and function.
Results provide important theoretical and clinical information about how believing that one can live a meaningful life despite pain might serve as an important process for adjustment to chronic pain.
慢性疼痛是一个全球性的健康问题，常常干扰个人生活的多个方面（如体育活动），削弱人们参与那些能提升生活意义的活动的能力。然而，人们并不清楚，相信即便身处疼痛之中也能过上有意义的生活，这如何能促进慢性疼痛患者的功能改善。本研究的目的是更好地理解尽管疼痛但仍相信能过上有意义生活这一信念在慢性疼痛适应过程中可能发挥的作用。
参与者（n = 164）为慢性疼痛患者，他们完成了来自两项密切相关的随机临床试验的基线数据。采用分层回归分析来检验以下假设：一个人尽管疼痛但仍相信能过上有意义生活的信念将与功能（疼痛干扰以及创伤后应激障碍、抑郁和焦虑症状）相关，且尽管疼痛但仍相信能过上有意义生活的信念会调节疼痛强度与功能之间的关联。
尽管疼痛但仍相信能过上有意义生活的信念与较少的疼痛干扰以及较轻的创伤后应激障碍、焦虑和抑郁症状显著相关，支持了该变量在慢性疼痛适应性调整中的潜在作用。然而，一个人尽管疼痛但仍相信能过上有意义生活的信念并未调节疼痛强度与功能之间的关联。
研究结果提供了重要的理论和临床信息，说明了相信即便疼痛也能过上有意义的生活如何可能成为慢性疼痛适应的一个重要过程。
