Čepukienė V, Puzerienė E. Examining pain severity in women with rheumatoid arthritis: the impact of pain self-efficacy and perceived partner's emotional support.
Health Psychol Rep 2023;
12:14-25. [PMID:
38425891 PMCID:
PMC10900974 DOI:
10.5114/hpr/167803]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Empirical data suggest that psychosocial factors, such as pain self-efficacy (PSE) and emotional support from a partner, may alleviate the suffering caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain. However, the data are ambiguous and warrant a more comprehensive investigation into the effect of these factors on the severity of RA pain. The objective of the present study was to assess the significance of PSE and emotional support from a partner in relation to pain severity among women with RA.
PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE
The study included a sample of 196 women diagnosed with RA with the mean age of 41.54. The study employed the following measures: Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Scale, Pain Self-efficacy Questionnaire, and Communication Based Emotional Support Scale.
RESULTS
The analysis revealed that higher PSE emerged as the strongest predictor for lower pain severity across all components of RA pain. However, the impact of the partner's emotional support on pain severity was not as evident and varied depending on the specific pain component. Furthermore, the use of pain medications significantly predicted three out of four pain components. Mediation analysis revealed that perceived emotional support from a partner directly affected women's RA pain intensity, as well as indirectly through the PSE as a mediator. Moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that the association between PSE and pain severity weakened as the duration of RA increased.
CONCLUSIONS
Enhancing women's PSE and providing appropriate training for their partners to offer effective emotional support may play a crucial role in the treatment of RA.
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