title: The Communal Coping Model of Pain Catastrophizing in Daily Life: A Within-Couples Daily Diary Study.
abstract: The Communal Coping Model characterizes pain catastrophizing as a coping tactic whereby pain expression elicits assistance and empathic responses from others. Married couples (N = 105 couples; 1 spouse with chronic low back pain) completed electronic daily diary assessments 5 times/day for 14 days. In these diaries, patients reported pain catastrophizing, pain, and function, and perceived spouse support, perceived criticism, and perceived hostility. Non-patient spouses reported on their support, criticism, and hostility directed toward patients, as well as their observations of patient pain and pain behaviors. Hierarchical linear modeling tested concurrent and lagged (3 hours later) relationships. Principal findings included the following: a) within-person increases in pain catastrophizing were positively associated with spouse reports of patient pain behavior in concurrent and lagged analyses; b) within-person increases in pain catastrophizing were positively associated with patient perceptions of spouse support, criticism, and hostility in concurrent analyses; c) within-person increases in pain catastrophizing were negatively associated with spouse reports of criticism and hostility in lagged analyses. Spouses reported patient behaviors that were tied to elevated pain catastrophizing, and spouses changed their behavior during and after elevated pain catastrophizing episodes. Pain catastrophizing may affect the interpersonal environment of patients and spouses in ways consistent with the Communal Coping Model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pain catastrophizing may represent a coping response by which individuals' pain expression leads to assistance or empathic responses from others. Results of the present study support this Communal Coping Model, which emphasizes interpersonal processes by which pain catastrophizing, pain, pain behavior, and responses of significant others are intertwined.
authors: Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. Electronic address: john_burns@rush.edu.
authors: John W
authors: JW
authors: Burns
authors: Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: James I
authors: JI
authors: Gerhart
authors: Department of Psychology, University of La Verne, La Verne, California.
authors: Kristina M
authors: KM
authors: Post
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.
authors: David A
authors: DA
authors: Smith
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors: Laura S
authors: LS
authors: Porter
authors: Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Erik
authors: E
authors: Schuster
authors: Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Asokumar
authors: A
authors: Buvanendran
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors: Anne Marie
authors: AM
authors: Fras
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors: Francis J
authors: FJ
authors: Keefe
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D058443:Catastrophization; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010465:Perception; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Communal Coping Model; Pain catastrophizing; daily diary; spouse responses