Do beliefs, coping, and catastrophizing independently predict functioning in patients with chronic pain?

Physical and psychosocial disability in patients with chronic pain have bee n shown to be associated with patients' pain-related beliefs, tendency to c atastrophize, and pain coping strategy use. However, little is known about whether beliefs, catastrophizing, and coping strategies are independently a ssociated with patient adjustment. Identification of specific beliefs, cogn itive responses, and coping strategies strongly and independently associate d with physical and psychosocial functioning would suggest the importance o f targeting those variables for modification in treatment. One hundred sixt y-nine patients entering a multidisciplinary pain treatment program complet ed measures of pain, beliefs, coping, catastrophizing, physical disability, and depression. Principal components analyses were used to create belief a nd coping components, which were then entered in multiple regression analys es predicting physical disability and depression. Belief scores significant ly and independently predicted both physical disability and depression, aft er controlling for age, sex, pain intensity, catastrophizing, and coping. C oping scores significantly and independently predicted physical disability, but not depression, whereas catastrophizing independently predicted depres sion, but not physical disability. These findings suggest the importance of targeting specific pain-related beliefs and coping strategies, as well as catastrophizing, for modification in the treatment of patients with chronic pain. (C) 2000 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.