Review: The influence of informal social support on risk and prognosis in spinal pain: A systematic review

Abstract

Spinal pain is very common and has considerable consequences for the individual (e.g. loss of employment, disability) as well as increased health care costs. It is now widely accepted that biological, psychological and social factors impact on spinal pain outcomes. The majority of research on social factors has been employment related, with little attention to the influence of informal social support (e.g. families, friends, social groups). The aim of this review is to investigate whether informal social support is associated with the occurrence and prognosis of spinal pain. Prognosis was considered in a broad sense within the biopsychosocial model inclusive of factors such as pain, function, general and psychological health. A systematic search of eight databases was conducted to search for studies who report findings on informal social support in populations with nonspecific spinal pain (i.e. no defined cause). Seventeen articles were identified and a best evidence synthesis was carried out on the data extracted from the studies. Results show that for cross-sectional designs there was inconclusive evidence of a relationship between social support and pain but moderate evidence of a relationship between social support and patient psychological outcome related to prognosis. Evidence of social support as a factor for risk of occurrence was inconclusive with three studies reporting no significant associations with the remaining two studies reporting weak associations. Evidence of an effect of social support and prognosis revealed inconsistent findings. The variation in findings may reflect ongoing difficulties surrounding the conceptualisation and measurement of informal social support.

Older adults’ preferences for formal social support of autonomy and dependence in pain: development and validation of a scale

“…It refers to the support people report having received or that is available to them if needed within the context of informal (e.g., family, friends) or formal relationships (e.g., healthcare services/professionals; Cohen et al 2000). Findings highlight the importance of social support in the experience of pain and pain-related outcomes such as disability (e.g., Campbell et al 2011;Campbell and Wynne-Jones 2013;Leonard et al 2006;Newton-John 2002). Most of this literature, however, has been focusing on the role of informal social support (from spouses or co-workers) on middle-aged adults' pain experiences.…”

The relationship between perceived promotion of autonomy/dependence and pain-related disability in older adults with chronic pain: the mediating role of self-reported physical functioning

“…With regard to pain research, evidence also suggests that social support may be an important factor in overcoming pain-related disability (e.g., Evers et al, 2003;Lee et al, 4 2015; Ziryanova et al, 2006). Nevertheless, evidence for the relationship between social support and pain-related disability is often inconsistent (see review by Campbell et al, 2011). Some studies have shown that high social support in chronic pain patients is associated with lower levels of painrelated disability and avoidance of daily activities (e.g., Cohen & Wills, 1985;Evers et al, 2003;Hughes et al, 2014;Jamison & Virts, 1990;Roberts, et al, 2015;Turk et al, 1992).…”

‘I think positivity breeds positivity’: a qualitative exploration of the role of family members in supporting those with chronic musculoskeletal pain to stay at work

“…Cognitivebehavioural models have also been developed to explain this phenomenon, whereby the perceptions and thoughts of significant others are proposed to play an important role in pain adjustment as they translate into unhelpful behaviours such as solicitousness or punishment [25]. More recent research has begun to acknowledge the importance of self-regulation in this field, which suggests that significant others' own beliefs and meanings about pain may be particularly salient influences on their relative's persistent pain behavior and disability [26,27].…”