Chronic pain experience in older people with osteoarthritis: cognitive-behavioural dimensions and adjustment

Despite previous research has shown the important role of different psychological variables in older people with chronic pain, a more comprehensive evaluation of the multiple dimensions of pain experience and their relationship with adjustment is needed. The objective of the present work is to identify new meaningful underlying variables that show the relationship between different cognitive-behavioural and sensorial variables involved in the pain experience of the older people, and to evaluate how these new variables explain the emotional and functional adjustment to chronic pain. A sample of 104 older people with osteoartrhitis was evaluated. Principal Component Analysis was performed on pain coping strategies, pain beliefs, pain behaviours and sensory pain parameters. Regression analyses were done to analyze the role of the new variables in predicting depression and disability. Four dimensions of the pain experience were identified. These components do not represent either different response systems or the traditional three dimensions described by Melzack and Wall (1965) but other cognition-behaviour patterns that may help explain the emotional and functional adjustment to the pain experience.