The contributions of interpersonal conflict to chronic pain in the presence or absence of organic pathology

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Ain Inventory, the Family Environment Scale, and the Interpersonal Relationships Inventory. Patients with myofascial disorders reported significantly worse pain (sensory and affective), higher depression scores, more interpersonal conflict, and less support from others than patients with arthritis, but did not differ from them on personality traits. Also, the contributions of conflict to pain were found to depend on the nature of the chronic disorder and on the source of the conflict, i.e., significant other, family, or social network members. For patients with arthritis, less intense pain (sensory and affective) was associated with higher family conflict. Less intense sensory pain in arthritis was also associated with more punishing responses from the significant other to pain. For patients with myofascial disorders, more intense affective pain was associated with higher social network conflict. Social support did not significantly contribute to pain for either group. Thus, chronic painful disorders may differ on the influences that social relationships have on pain. The implications of these differences for treatment are discussed. ∗Correspondence to: Julia Faucett, R.N., Ph.D., School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0608, U.S.A. Submitted February 13, 1990; revised July 17, 1990; accepted July 23, 1990. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers....