Forgeron Paula, Qualter Pam, Jordan Abbie, Saron Holly, Carter Bernie
School of Nursing, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Pain Manag Nurs. 2025 Aug;26(4):463-469. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2025.01.008. Epub 2025 Feb 25.
Developing and maintaining romantic relationships is a hallmark of entry to adulthood. Studies suggest that young people with chronic pain often experience social challenges engaging in romantic intimacy, but these studies are limited as they (1) combined participants who were and were not in romantic relationships and (2) focused solely on heterosexual romantic relationships. It is unknown how young adults with chronic pain, inclusive of diverse genders and sexual orientations, perceive themselves on romantic relationship factors.
To determine how pain-related factors are associated with romantic relationship factors when young adults with chronic pain are actively in a romantic relationship.
An online cross-sectional survey using validated questionnaires assessed chronic pain characteristics, romantic relationship factors, social well-being, and demographics. A social media campaign recruited 72 young adults (18-25 years) who were in a romantic relationship regardless of sexual orientation or gender identification.
Pain characteristics, not demographics, explained 23.6% of the variance in romantic relationship anxiety, suggesting that pain contributed to concerns about an individual needing their partner's approval and distress when their partner is unresponsive to their needs. Pain characteristics did not impact participants' present relationship satisfaction, but negatively impacted loneliness. Interestingly, loneliness was negatively associated with romantic relationship factors.
Nurses and members of the interprofessional team should reassure young adults with chronic pain that pain is not necessarily a limiting factor in romantic relationship satisfaction. Additionally, clinical staff should also assess loneliness as romantic relationships alone are insufficient in decreasing loneliness within this population.
发展和维持浪漫关系是步入成年期的一个标志。研究表明，患有慢性疼痛的年轻人在进行浪漫亲密行为时常常面临社交挑战，但这些研究存在局限性，因为它们（1）将处于恋爱关系和未处于恋爱关系的参与者合并在一起，（2）仅关注异性恋浪漫关系。目前尚不清楚患有慢性疼痛的年轻人，包括不同性别和性取向的人，如何看待自己在浪漫关系因素方面的情况。
确定患有慢性疼痛的年轻人在积极处于浪漫关系时，与疼痛相关的因素如何与浪漫关系因素相关联。
一项使用经过验证的问卷进行的在线横断面调查，评估慢性疼痛特征、浪漫关系因素、社会幸福感和人口统计学特征。一场社交媒体活动招募了72名年龄在18至25岁之间、处于浪漫关系中的年轻人，无论其性取向或性别认同如何。
疼痛特征而非人口统计学特征解释了浪漫关系焦虑中23.6%的变异，这表明疼痛导致了对个人需要伴侣认可的担忧，以及当伴侣对其需求无反应时的痛苦。疼痛特征并未影响参与者目前的关系满意度，但对孤独感有负面影响。有趣的是，孤独感与浪漫关系因素呈负相关。
护士和跨专业团队成员应向患有慢性疼痛的年轻人保证，疼痛不一定是浪漫关系满意度的限制因素。此外，临床工作人员还应评估孤独感，因为仅浪漫关系不足以降低该人群的孤独感。
