How Treatment Motivation Predicts Favorable Outcomes in Interdisciplinary Multimodal Pain Treatment Among Patients with Chronic Primary Pain

Abstract

As motivation for psychological treatment at intake has been shown to predict favorable outcomes after an inpatient stay, this study aimed to further characterize the different components of psychological treatment motivation that predict favorable treatment outcomes. 294 inpatients with chronic primary pain participating in an interdisciplinary multimodal pain treatment in a tertiary psychosomatic university clinic completed a battery of psychological questionnaires at intake and discharge. Treatment motivation was assessed at intake using the scales of the FPTM-23 questionnaire, while pain intensity, pain interference, anxiety, and depression were assessed both at intake and discharge. After treatment, pain intensity, pain interference, anxiety, and depression were significantly reduced. While higher levels on the FPTM-23 scale of suffering predicted smaller decreases in anxiety after treatment, higher scores on the scale of hope, i.e., lower levels of hopelessness, predicted lower levels of pain interference, anxiety, and depression after treatment. None of the scales of treatment motivation predicted pain intensity levels after treatment. Above and beyond providing symptom relief, reducing hopelessness and fostering hope regarding the treatment process and outcome might help clinicians treat patients with chronic primary pain more effectively.