Empathic Accuracy in Chronic Pain: Exploring Patient and Informal Caregiver Differences and Their Personality Correlates
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Other documents of the author: Suso-Ribera, Carlos; Martínez-Borba, Verónica; Viciano, Alejandro; Cano-García, Francisco Javier; Díaz-García, Amanda
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Show full item recordcomunitat-uji-handle:10234/9
comunitat-uji-handle2:10234/8033
comunitat-uji-handle3:10234/8636
comunitat-uji-handle4:
INVESTIGACIONMetadata
Title
Empathic Accuracy in Chronic Pain: Exploring Patient and Informal Caregiver Differences and Their Personality CorrelatesAuthor (s)
Date
2019Publisher
MDPIISSN
1010-660X; 1648-9144Bibliographic citation
SUSO-RIBERA, Carlos, et al. Empathic Accuracy in Chronic Pain: Exploring Patient and Informal Caregiver Differences and Their Personality Correlates. Medicina, 2019, vol. 55, no 9, p. 539.Type
info:eu-repo/semantics/articlePublisher version
https://www.mdpi.com/1010-660X/55/9/539Version
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionSubject
Abstract
Background and objectives: Social factors have demonstrated to affect pain intensity and
quality of life of pain patients, such as social support or the attitudes and responses of the main informal
caregiver. ... [+]
Background and objectives: Social factors have demonstrated to affect pain intensity and
quality of life of pain patients, such as social support or the attitudes and responses of the main informal
caregiver. Similarly, pain has negative consequences on the patient’s social environment. However,
it is still rare to include social factors in pain research and treatment. This study compares patient
and caregivers’ accuracy, as well as explores personality and health correlates of empathic accuracy
in patients and caregivers. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 292 chronic pain patients
from the Pain Clinic of the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Spain (main age = 59.4 years; 66.8% females)
and their main informal caregivers (main age = 53.5 years; 51.0% females; 68.5% couples). Results:
Patients were relatively inaccurate at estimating the interference of pain on their counterparts (t = 2.16;
p = 0.032), while informal caregivers estimated well the patient’s status (all differences p > 0.05).
Empathic accuracy on patient and caregiver status did not differ across types of relationship (i.e.,
couple or other; all differences p > 0.05). Sex differences in estimation only occurred for disagreement
in pain severity, with female caregivers showing higher overestimation (t = 2.18; p = 0.030). Patients’
health status and caregivers’ personality were significant correlates of empathic accuracy. Overall,
estimation was poorer when patients presented higher physical functioning. Similarly, caregiver had
more difficulties in estimating the patient’s pain interference as patient general and mental health
increased (r = 0.16, p = 0.008, and r = 0.15, p = 0.009, respectively). Caregiver openness was linked to
a more accurate estimation of a patient’s status (r = 0.20, p < 0.001), while caregiver agreeableness
was related to a patient’s greater accuracy of their caregivers’ pain interference (r = 0.15, p = 0.009).
Conclusions: Patients poorly estimate the impact of their illness compared to caregivers, regardless
of their relationship. Some personality characteristics in the caregiver and health outcomes in the
patient are associated with empathic inaccuracy, which should guide clinicians when selecting who
requires more active training on empathy in pain settings. [-]
Is part of
Medicina 2019, 55, 539Investigation project
FPU-AP2010-5585 ; POSDOC/2016/15Rights
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info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
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