Using vignettes to assess the contribution of goal adjustment in the adaptation to chronic musculoskeletal pain

Empathy among health science undergraduates toward the diagnosis of chronic pain: An experimental study

OBJECTIVES

To analyse the empathetic response of future health professionals toward people diagnosed with chronic pain differentiated by the degree of visibility and credibility of symptoms.

METHODS

A total of 203 undergraduates performed an experimental task using vignettes depicting different diagnoses of chronic pain and completed questionnaires measuring dispositional and situational empathy. A MANCOVA analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

The main effects of chronic pain diagnoses did not significantly affect situational empathy (p = .587, η2 = 0.007, d = 0.229). The dispositional empathy variables perspective-taking and personal distress affected the situational empathy scores (p = .002, η2 = 0.072, d = 0.906, and p = .043, η2 = 0.032, d = 0.547, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

It would seem appropriate to foster intra-individual empathy factors among health science undergraduates such that they can more readily understand the process of individual adaptation to chronic pain and thus manage it more effectively.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It would be useful for dispositional empathy to form part of the transversal competences of the training programmes of future health professionals from the beginning of their studies.

The Impairment and Functioning Inventory Revised-English version: A validation study in individuals with disabilities and bothersome pain

BACKGROUND

Despite the relevance of daily function in individuals with chronic pain, few questionnaires have been designed to assess this domain in individuals with musculoskeletal pain. In addition, the Impairment and Functioning Inventory-Revised (IFI-R) is the only instrument that assesses perceived decreases in levels of daily activity after the onset of pain.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the English version of the IFI-R.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

A database of individuals with medical conditions commonly associated with chronic pain maintained by the University of Washington.

PATIENTS

A total of 470 individuals with chronic pain.

METHODS

Factorial validity was analyzed by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis via structural equation modeling. Internal consistency was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's α coefficients. Convergent validity was assessed by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients between the two scales of the IFI-R and the Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference Scale. Criterion validity was analyzed by regression analysis via structural equation modeling.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The English version of the IFI-R (IFI-R-EV) for individuals with chronic pain.

RESULTS

The IFI-R-EV consists of 30 items with two related subscales: The Daily Function subscale (α = .86). and the Impairment subscale (α = .89). A significant correlation was found between these subscales and a measure of pain interference (r's = - .33, and .35 respectively; p's < .01). We also found statistically significant associations (p < .05) between daily function and depression (β = -.14) and pain intensity (β = -.13), between impairment and depression (β = .14) and pain intensity (β = .16), and between daily function and pain acceptance (β = .14).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that the IFI-R-EV provides valid and reliable measures of daily function and impairment in English-speaking individuals with a disability and chronic pain. These results are consistent with those obtained with the Spanish version.