Positive Affect as a Source of Resilience for Women in Chronic Pain

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 2005-04, Vol.73 (2), p.212-220
• Main Authors: Zautra, Alex J, Johnson, Lisa M, Davis, Mary C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Affect; Affective Behavior; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic Disease; Chronic Illness; Chronic Pain; Clinical psychology; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Emotional States; Emotions; Female; Females; Fibromyalgia; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health Conditions; Human; Humans; Illness and personality; Illness, stress and coping; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous. Osteoarticular involvement in other diseases; Multilevel models; Optimism; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Pain - diagnosis; Pain Measurement; Personality Traits; Positive affect; Predictor Variables; Psychological Patterns; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Resilience; Resilience (Psychological); Self-management; Stress; Stress Variables; Surveys and Questionnaires; Women
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.73.2.212

A sample of 124 women with osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia, or both, completed initial assessments for demographic data, health status, and personality traits and 10-12 weekly interviews regarding pain, stress, negative affect, and positive affect. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that weekly elevations of pain and stress predicted increases in negative affect. Both higher weekly positive affect as well as greater positive affect on average resulted in lower negative affect both directly and in interaction with pain and stress. Finally, increases in weekly negative affect and higher average negative affect related to greater levels of pain in subsequent weeks. In contrast, higher levels of overall positive affect predicted lower levels of pain in subsequent weeks.