Bewältigungsressourcen bei Rückenschmerzen: Ein neues Erhebungsinstrument für die therapeutische Praxis

Background: The reinforcement of adaptive coping strategies is an integral part of psycho-social interventions for pain management. The concept of coping resources consists of coping strategies that are subjectively experienced as adaptive by the patient. For this study, a questionnaire was developed that helps doctors to identify the coping resources of patients. The aims of the analyses presented in this study were 1) to explore possible associations between the coping resources with achieved copying behaviors, quality of life, pain-related factors and socio-demographic characteristics and 2) to identify patients with back pain who use different coping resources and to describe their respective socio-demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: This study included 460 persons with current low back pain. A 12- item questionnaire was developed, assessing the coping resources of patients with low back pain. The associations between coping resources, realized coping behaviors, quality of life, pain-related factors and socio-demographic characteristics were examined using analyses of variance. For the identification of patients with differences in coping resources, a cluster analysis was conducted.

Results: The new questionnaire consists of seven dimensions of coping resources: social contact, social support, knowledge about back pain, exercise, hobbies/enjoyment, spirituality, and cognitive strategies. Cluster-analysis identified four different meaningful patient groups: a group with overall high coping resources (1), a group with overall low coping resources (2), a group with particularly low social coping resources (3) and a group with particularly highly distinctive “knowledge and active coping” (4). Differences between the groups in socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were found.

Discussion: The new questionnaire can provide a comprehensive view about the self-help potential of patients in an efficient way. The results of the questionnaire can be used during consultation to support patients’ own coping resources.