PAIN IN YOUNG-ADULTS .3. RELATIONSHIPS OF 3 PAIN-COPING MEASURES TO PAIN AND ACTIVITY INTERFERENCE

The study had two purposes: (a) to examine the relationships among cop ing strategies measured by the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) ( 1), the Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory (VPMI) (2), and the Ways of Coping Inventory (WOC) (3) and identify the higher-order composite factors representing these relationships; and (b) to determine the deg ree to which individual coping scale scores and composite coping facto r scores could explain variability in the pain intensity and pain-rela ted activity interference reported by young adults. Measures of pain c oping were collected from 206 young adults using the CSQ, VPMI, and WO C, along with measures of pain intensity, pain location, and the exten t to which pain interfered with daily activities. Results indicated co nsiderable variability in the reported frequency of use of pain-coping strategies and in pain intensity, location, and activity interference . Principal components factor analysis identified three higher-order c oping factors (Emotional and Other-Directed Coping, Active Cognitive C oping, and Self-Efficacy for Pain Control) that explained 87% of the v ariance in individual coping scale scores. The degree to which individ ual scale scores and composite factor scores explained variability in pain intensity and activity interference variables was determined thro ugh a series of multiple regression analyses. The results revealed tha t individual scale scores, particularly the CSQ scales of catastrophiz ing and praying or hoping, were best able to explain the variance in m easures of pain and activity interference. Taken together, these findi ngs provide further support for the importance of coping variables in explaining the experience of pain and adjustment in young adults.