Trevett, Sue-Ellen (2009) Adaptive and Maladaptive Pain Beliefs: Potential Predictors for Engagement in Exercise in Individuals with Chronic Pain. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Pain beliefs, categorised as adaptive or maladaptive, and engagement in physical activity have demonstrated strong predictive validity for treatment outcomes in chronic pain populations. However, minimal research has explored the specific link between pain beliefs and physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between pain beliefs and engagement in physical activity in chronic pain sufferers. Participants consisted of 37 individuals, between the ages of 19 and 84, who were at the time undergoing pain management at a private pain clinic. The Survey of Pain Attitudes (SOPA; Jensen, Karoly, & Huger, 1987) was used to measure adaptive and maladaptive pain beliefs and attitudes. Adaptive beliefs included two subscales; Control, a belief that one can influence his or her pain experience, and Emotion, a belief that emotion can influence pain. Maladaptive beliefs included four subscales; Harm, a belief that pain is a sign of damage being done, Disability, a belief that pain is disabling, Medication, a belief in medication use, and Medical Cure, measuring hope for a medical cure. One subscale from the Chronic Pain Coping Inventory (CPCI; Jensen, Turner, Romano, & Strom, 1995), Exercise/stretch, was used to measure the amount of exercise and stretch in which the participants were currently engaging on a weekly basis. The aforementioned measures, plus demographic questions, were integrated into a pen and paper questionnaire package for participants to complete. Standard multiple regressions were used to investigate the association between physical activity and pain beliefs. The three models tested comprised Control and Emotion, Harm and Disability, and Medication and Medical Cure. No significant results were detected among the predictive models, suggesting minimal or no association between pain beliefs and exercise. However, bivariate correlations validated a moderate link between perception of harm and physical activity. Many limitations were identified, such as a small sample size and extraneous variables, and as a result implications generated from the study were done so tentatively. While no clinically significant results were found, this study has brought attention to a much needed area of research. In light of these findings, future research would benefit from focusing obtaining samples sizes large enough to detect moderate and small effects.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
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| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Coates, Des |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology) |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Mar 2026 03:02 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Mar 2026 03:02 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52828 |
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