This manuscript describes the development and initial validation of a self-report questionnaire designed to assess an individual's readiness to adopt a self-management approach to their chronic pain condition. Theory and preliminary empirical work informed the development of a pool of items that were administered to a sample of individuals reporting chronic pain. Analyses of the data support a four factor measure that is consistent with the transtheoretical model of change and associated stages of change model. Each of the four factors, precontemplation, contemplation, action, and maintenance, was found to be internally consistent and stable over time. There was also substantial support for each factor's discriminant and criterion-related validity.

Abstract-The improved management of pain among veterans seeking care in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities has been established as a priority. This study documents the high prevalence of reports of pain among a convenience sample of 685 veterans seeking care in a VHA primary care setting. Also reported are associations of pain complaints with self-rated health, an index of emotional distress, health-risk behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol use, health-related concerns about diet and weight, and perceptions of the availability of social support. The relationship between the presence of pain and use of outpatient and inpatient medical and mental health services is also examined. Nearly 50% of the sample reported that they experience pain regularly and that they were concerned about this problem at the time of the index visit to their primary care provider. Persons acknowledging the presence of pain, relative to those not reporting pain, were younger, reported worsening health over the past year, had greater emotional distress, used tobacco, had diet and/or weight concerns, and were found to use more outpatient medical, but not inpatient medical or mental health services. Results support the goals of the VHA National Pain Management Strategy designed to reduce unnecessary pain and suffering among veterans receiving care in VHA facilities.

Depression is an important independent contributor to medical and psychosocial morbidity up to 6 months after CABG. These findings warrant replication with larger and more diverse populations.

Psychological treatments emphasizing a self-management approach have become commonly accepted alternatives to medical interventions for chronic pain. Unfortunately, these approaches often fail to engage a significant portion of targeted individuals and are associated with high drop-out and relapse rates. Informed by the transtheoretical model of behavior change and the cognitive behavioral perspective on chronic pain, the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ) was developed to assess readiness to adopt a self-management approach to chronic pain. Initial studies supported the reliability and validity of four distinct scales, Precontemplation, Contemplation, Action and Maintenance. The current study was designed to assess the ability of the PSOCQ to predict self-management participation and outcome. The PSOCQ and several relevant outcome measures were assessed before and after self-management treatment by 109 chronic pain patients. Profile analysis revealed that treatment completers and non-completers differed significantly across the four PSOCQ scales. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that pretreatment PSOCQ Precontemplation and Contemplation scores discriminated these two groups. Separate analyses revealed that Action and Maintenance scores increased over the course of treatment, and that changes in the PSOCQ scales were associated with improved outcomes. These findings suggest that increased commitment to a self-management approach to chronic pain may serve as a mediator or moderator of successful treatment. This study supports the predictive validity and utility of the PSOCQ, as well as the relevance of the stages of change model to self-management of chronic pain.

Intensity of angry feelings and styles of expressing anger were examined for their relationship to measures of the chronic pain experience. Subjects were 142 chronic pain patients. Multiple regression analyses revealed that a style of inhibiting the expression of angry feelings was the strongest predictor of reports of pain intensity and pain behavior among a group of variables including demographics, pain history, depression, anger intensity, and other styles of anger expression. In a similar manner anger intensity contributed significantly to predictions of perceived pain interference and activity level. More conservative hierarchical regression analyses supported these findings. Results are consistent with explanatory models of pain and disability that hypothesize an etiologic role of a pervasive inability to express intense negative emotions, particularly anger.

Clinical observations and recent studies suggest that arthritis patients vary considerably in their involvement in self-management efforts. In the literature on health promotion, there is growing recognition that patients may be at different stages of change with respect to the adoption of self-management strategies. The major goal of the present study was to examine whether cluster analysis could be used to identify homogeneous subgroups of patients having persistent arthritis pain based on their responses to a stages of change questionnaire. Participants in this study (103 patients having rheumatoid arthritis and 74 patients having osteoarthritis) completed a stages-of-change measure specific to adoption of a self-management approach to their arthritis. A cluster analysis identified five distinct subgroups of arthritis patients: (1) precontemplation - 44% of the sample; (2) contemplation - 11% of the sample; (3) preparation - 22% of the sample; (4) unprepared action - 6% of the sample; and (5) prepared maintenance - 17% of the sample. These subgroups are generally consistent with what might be expected based on the transtheoretical model of stages of change by Prochaska and DiClemente (Prochaska JO, DiClemente CC. Towards a comprehensive, transtheoretical model of change: states of change and addictive behaviors. In: Miller WR, Heather N, editors. Applied clinical psychology, 2nd ed. Treating addictive behaviors, New York: Plenum Press, 1998. pp. 3-24.), and may have important clinical implications. For example, it is possible that the arthritis subgroups identified may predict arthritis patients' participation in and responsiveness to pain-coping skills training, exercise interventions, or other formal self-management training programs. Also, one may be able enhance the outcomes of self-management interventions for arthritis by tailoring treatment to the patient's particular stage.

Social support of patients with chronic illness has almost universally been expected to have positive effects on the adaptation to disability and, in some instances, on the underlying disease process. Theory and a growing empirical base challenge this assumption, at least among chronic pain conditions. Operant models of chronic pain suggest that positive attention from significant others to individuals' overt expressions of pain may inadvertently serve to maintain or increase these expression of pain and increase the likelihood of disability.Data from several studies, including new data reported herein, generally support the operant model. Positive attention from spouses to displays of pain are found to be associated with reports of higher reports of pain intensity, observed pain behavior frequency, and greater disability. Negative responding to pain is commonly found to be associated with reports of increased affective distress.This paper advances a reformulated cognitive-behavioral model that emphasizes patients' appraisals and interpretations of their spouses' responses to communications of pain. The quality of the marital relationship is specifically documented as a critical mediator. Relationships between spouses' responses to pain and important dimensions of the pain experience are generally found to be present only among maritally satisfied couples. Further nuances related to the appraisal process are considered and directions for future investigations are described.There is an extensive literature outlining the important role played by families in adaptation to a diverse range of acute and chronic illnesses (see . In particular, physical conditions that exist over extended periods of time

The construct of "pain behaviors" as observable and measurable manifestations of pain occupies a central role in Fordyce's operant model of pain. The present study was designed to evaluate the multidimensional nature of the construct and to explore the psychometric properties of a newly developed self-report instrument called the Pain Behavior Check List (PBCL). Subjects were 126 chronic pain patients who completed an initial version of the PBCL and other standardized questionnaires as part of their evaluation by the West Haven VAMC. Factor analysis identified four factors labeled Distorted Ambulation, Affective Distress, Facial/Audible Expressions, and Seeking Help. Substantial reliability and stability estimates for the total PBCL and the subscales support the potential clinical and theoretical utility of the instrument.