Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol 2018; 68(08): e20
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1667922
SYMPOSIEN
Neue Entwicklungen in der Diagnostik und Therapie chronischer Schmerzen
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

The power of resilience in chronic pain patients

GH Franke
1   Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal, Rehabilitationspsychologie, Stendal, Deutschland
,
M Jagla
1   Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal, Rehabilitationspsychologie, Stendal, Deutschland
,
D Küch
2   Paracelcus-Klinik an der Gande, Bad Gandersheim, Deutschland
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
06 August 2018 (online)

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Background:

Resilience, the personality characteristic that moderates the negative effects of stress and promotes adaptation, operationalized in the German Resilience Scale (RS-13) of Wagnild and Young, was investigated in patients suffering from chronic pain.

Methods:

347 orthopedic patients of two German rehabilitation clinics answered the RS-13 and the BSI-18 with negative correlation between resilience and psychological distress expected. The power of resilience items in predicting low psychological distress was tested.

Findings:

55% of the patients reported remarkable psychological distress compared to the German normative sample; the resilience score (M = 68, SD = 14) was lower compared to German normative data (M = 70, SD = 12; p < 0.01). The global RS-13 score as well as the two subscales Competence and Acceptance were negatively correlated with physical and mental aspects of psychological distress (r-min = -0.22; r-max = -0.55). Highest negative correlations were found between resilience and depression. High levels of depression were predicted by four RS-13 items (R2= 0.33): „12 – I have enough energy to do what I have do (Beta = -0.23)“; „4 – I am friends with myself (Beta = -0.22)“, „7 – I take things one day at a time (Beta =-0.13)“, „6 – I am determined (Beta = -0.13)“; and age (Beta = -0.09). Two of these items were part of the Competence (6,12) and two of the Acceptance scale (4,7).

Discussion:

In chronic pain patients' resilience is an important predictor for low psychological distress; especially for depression. Therefore, it could be argued that resilience might play an important role as being the „bright side“ of psychological distress; longitudinal studies are necessary.