Factors affecting pain beliefs and their determinants in individuals with chronic diseases

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the pain beliefs of individuals with chronic illnesses. The mean psychological belief score of the participants was 4.27 ± 1.02, and the mean organic belief score was 3.82 ± 0.68. Women had higher scores on the psychological beliefs subscale (p = 0.002), while married individuals had higher scores on the organic beliefs subscale (p = 0.045). Participants who reported experiencing pain “always” throughout their lives had higher organic (p = 0.016) and psychological (p = 0.001) belief scores. Additionally, those who experienced every day pain in the last 6 months had higher organic belief scores than individuals reporting no pain (p = 0.005). According to the regression analysis, female gender (β = −0.265; p = 0.003) and lifetime pain experience (β = 0.273; p = 0.005) significantly predicted psychological beliefs, while the frequency of pain experienced in the last 6 months significantly predicted organic beliefs (β = 0.242; p = 0.020). Overall, gender, marital status, and pain experience frequency were found to influence pain beliefs.