Coping with chronic pain associated with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Fifty‐nine adults with cerebral palsy (CP) were administered, via in‐person interviews, measures of pain intensity, pain‐related disability, and psychological functioning, in addition to a measure of pain coping (Waldron/Varni Pediatric Pain Coping Inventory; PPCI). Regression analyses indicated that the PPCI scales made a nonsignificant contribution to the prediction of pain intensity, but did make a significant contribution to the prediction of psychological functioning when controlling for pain intensity. Only the PPCI Catastrophizing subscale made a significant independent contribution to the prediction of psychological functioning, and only the PPCI Seek Social Support subscale made a significant independent contribution to the prediction of pain‐related disability. These findings support a link between coping and functioning among adults with CP, and suggest that catastrophizing responses and some aspects of support seeking may be maladaptive for coping with CP‐related pain. Limitations of the study include a correlational design, a reliance on self‐report data, and a small subject population. Experimental research is needed to determine if changes in coping lead to changes in psychological and physical functioning. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.