Differences in Resilience Mechanisms and Physical Activity among Women Experiencing Chronic Pain with Higher or Lower Resilience

Abstract

Chronic pain is a public health issue, with women being disproportionately impacted. Progressing from light physical activity to the recommended moderate to vigorous intensities is effective for chronic pain self-management, yet participation is low among women experiencing chronic pain. Researchers studying resilience approaches to chronic pain contend that women with higher resilience, or functioning well despite adverse life stressors including chronic pain, should have better resilience mechanisms and more physical activity participation. The purpose of this work was to examine whether women experiencing chronic pain, reporting higher versus lower resilience, differed in resilience mechanisms (pain acceptance, self-regulatory efficacy to overcome pain and related barriers to activity, and self-regulatory efficacy to schedule and plan activity) and physical activity (light, moderate-vigorous).Adult women experiencing chronic pain (N = 269; Mage = 38.35, SD = 13.13 years) completed an online survey assessing study variables.A multivariate analysis of covariance comparing participants with higher (n = 131) and lower (n = 138) resilience, controlling for age and pain intensity, was significant (p < .001; η2partial = .17). Participants with higher resilience reported significantly higher pain acceptance, self-regulatory efficacy beliefs, and moderate-vigorous physical activity (p's < .01; η2partial = .03 to .14, small to large effects). Light activity did not differ.Novel findings illustrated that participants with higher resilience exhibited more favorable resilience mechanisms and participation in the recommended moderate-vigorous activity. If intervening among women with lower resilience to improve their resilience mechanisms and moderate-vigorous activity is effective, then intervention adoption and delivery across communities could promote improved pain self-management among women.