The role of fear-avoidance and helplessness in explaining functional disability in chronic pain: a prospective study

• Published in: International journal of behavioral medicine Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 237 - 241
• Main Authors: Samwel, Han J A, Kraaimaat, Floris W, Crul, Ben J P, Evers, Andrea W M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Springer Nature B.V 01.01.2007
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anxiety - etiology; Anxiety - psychology; Avoidance Learning; Chronic Disease; Cohort Studies; Disability Evaluation; Fear & phobias; Fear - psychology; Female; Health behavior; Helplessness, Learned; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Pain; Pain - complications; Pain - psychology; Regression Analysis; Statistics, Nonparametric; Studies; Worry
• ISSN: 1070-5503; 1532-7558
• DOI: 10.1007/bf03002998

Based on the fear-avoidance and helplessness models, the relative contribution of fear of pain, avoidance behavior, worrying, and helplessness were examined in relation to fluctuations in functional disability in chronic-pain patients. A cohort of 181 chronic-pain patients first completed various questionnaires and kept a 7-day pain journal during a standard 3-month waiting-list period prior to their scheduled treatment at an Interdisciplinary Pain Centre and did so again immediately preceding the intervention. At baseline, fear of pain, avoidance behavior, and helplessness all predicted functional disability after 3 months. Stepwise regression analyses showed avoidance behavior to be the strongest predictor of change in functional disability followed by helplessness, thus both ahead of fear of pain. The current findings support the roles of both fear-avoidance factors and helplessness in the functional disability in chronic-pain patients awaiting treatment but revealed a central role for avoidance behavior.