title: Chronic pain and the family: theory-driven treatment approaches.
abstract: The chronic pain experience is the product of a complex interaction of many factors including biological, social, psychological, environmental, and familial. The presence of chronic pain can impact the family system with significant, negative consequences; the family may also be responsible, in part, for maintaining and perpetuating pain problems. The need to examine the family dimension of the chronic pain experience and offer family/couple therapy, should it be indicated, is vital to comprehensive pain management. Operant behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, and structural family therapy approaches are advocated for such families, along with a clear need for controlled evaluations of these approaches.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA. nursing@kent.edu
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lewandowski
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Claire Burke
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Draucker
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Risko
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005192:Family Health; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment