(165) Pain Resilience Moderates the Relationships between Fear-Avoidance, Functional Performance, and Movement-Evoked Pain in Older Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract

Psychosocial processes are influential in the development and maintenance of chronic pain, yet much of research has focused on the role of negative factors (e.g., negative affect, pain catastrophizing) on pain and functioning. In recent years, it has become increasingly important to consider how positive, resilience factors (e.g., optimism, hope) may serve as protective agents to support pain reduction, decrease functional impairment, and enhance quality of life in individuals with chronic pain. This is especially true for older adults with pain, given increased disability and functional limitations in this population. Fear-avoidance (fear of movement/avoidance of activities) predicts negative outcomes among people with chronic pain; however, little is known regarding whether adaptive factors such as pain resilience (positive coping/adjustment in the face of adversity) may mitigate these effects. The present study investigated whether resilience, as measured by the Pain Resilience Scale (PRS), moderated the relationships between fear-avoidance and functional performance and movement-evoked pain (MEP). Sixty older adults with chronic low back pain (cLBP) completed the PRS and the physical activity subscale of the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), as well as a physical performance test assessing six-minute walk distance and activity-induced pain. Bivariate analyses indicated that higher pain resilience was associated with lower fear avoidance (r=-.28, p