Background: Informal care-giving by spouses has become frequent in chronic pain settings. However, the impact of pain on occupational, functional and health outcomes in spouses has not been systematically investigated.
Aims: The goal of the present study was to examine the impact of pain on both patient and spousal outcomes.
Methods: In the present study, the impact of chronic pain on 114 heterosexual dyads was explored (patients: 59% females, average age = 57.81 years, SD = 11.85; spouses: 41% females, average age = 57.32 years, SD = 12.15).
Results: Overall, both patients and spouses reported important consequences of pain on outcomes, including occupational status distribution of household chores and marital satisfaction). Almost 52% of spouses indicated a high-to-severe burden. A multivariate model with spouse and patient factors accounted for 37.8% of the variance of this burden. In the model, patient disability (β = 0.36, p = .002), spouses' change in occupational status (β = 0.26, p = .002) and spousal perception of marital adjustment (β = -0.36, p < .001) were uniquely associated with burden.
Conclusions: The results indicate that the impact of chronic pain should be evaluated both for patients and spouses and point to patient and spouse factors that might contribute to spousal burden, which might help guide family interventions in a more effective manner.
Significance: Research has shown that chronic pain poses a significant burden on individuals, which increases their reliance on others for assistance. However, the burden of informal care-giving assumed by spouses of patients with chronic pain has not been systematically investigated. This study offers new insights into the impact of chronic pain on patients and their spouses, which might provide empirical foundation for the development of new avenues for intervention aimed at promoting adjustment in patients with chronic pain and spouses who act as informal caregivers.
© 2020 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.