title: Catastrophizing and perceived partner responses to pain.
abstract: This study examined the relationship between catastrophizing and patient-perceived partner responses to pain behaviors. The Catastrophizing subscale of the Cognitive Coping Strategy Inventory and the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory were completed by 62 adult chronic pain patients. Consistent with past research, catastrophizing and patient-perceived solicitous partner behaviors were positively correlated with negative pain outcomes. The communal coping theory of catastrophizing suggests that catastrophizing might be undertaken to solicit support and empathy from others. However, catastrophizing was not related to perceived solicitous partner behavior in this study. Rather, catastrophizing was associated with perceived punishing partner responses. Implications are that catastrophizing and perceived solicitous partner behaviors are independently associated with pain and that catastrophizing may not be reinforced by empathy from significant others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, AL 35487, USA Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, AL 35404, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Boothby
authors.forename: Beverly E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Thorn
authors.forename: Lorraine Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Overduin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Charles Ward
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires