Poster Session #2: UC Ballroom
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Craig Ravesloot
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Psychology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
For people with impairments, both the environment and experience of pain can limit participation, which is important to one’s quality of life. As a result, the perception of pain and impact of environmental barriers can be important factors in determining quality of life for these individuals. Little research has examined environmental barriers and pain catastrophizing. This correlational study examined the relationship between environmental barriers (e.g., weather, light, accessibility) and pain catastrophizing (i.e., one’s thoughts about their pain intensity). Surveys were collected from 272 randomly selected individuals ages 18-64, who were residing in a small Western US city. These individuals experience pain in conjunction with some form of physical disability. In this study there were 107 male and 165 female participants with an average age of 50.7 years old. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale has been used to assess psychological suffering in response to pain. The Survey of Participation and Receptivity in Communities (SPARC) has been used to assess the frequency and magnitude of barriers experienced by people with various impairments. I hypothesized that frequency of environmental barriers would predict pain catastrophizing because people who are sensitive to pain may be sensitive to their environment. Such a generalized sensitivity across pain and barrier domains may help us understand important factors that affect an individual’s participation in the community. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0) was used to complete multiple regression analyses. Elements of pain catastrophizing and the frequency and magnitude of barriers were compared. This investigation of environmental barriers and pain catastrophizing may advance our understanding of pain and participation that could be used for developing interventions for treating chronic pain and to improve the quality of life for people who have impairments.
Keywords: environmental barriers, pain catastrophizing
Category
Social Sciences
Enviromental Barriers and Pain Catastrophizing
For people with impairments, both the environment and experience of pain can limit participation, which is important to one’s quality of life. As a result, the perception of pain and impact of environmental barriers can be important factors in determining quality of life for these individuals. Little research has examined environmental barriers and pain catastrophizing. This correlational study examined the relationship between environmental barriers (e.g., weather, light, accessibility) and pain catastrophizing (i.e., one’s thoughts about their pain intensity). Surveys were collected from 272 randomly selected individuals ages 18-64, who were residing in a small Western US city. These individuals experience pain in conjunction with some form of physical disability. In this study there were 107 male and 165 female participants with an average age of 50.7 years old. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale has been used to assess psychological suffering in response to pain. The Survey of Participation and Receptivity in Communities (SPARC) has been used to assess the frequency and magnitude of barriers experienced by people with various impairments. I hypothesized that frequency of environmental barriers would predict pain catastrophizing because people who are sensitive to pain may be sensitive to their environment. Such a generalized sensitivity across pain and barrier domains may help us understand important factors that affect an individual’s participation in the community. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0) was used to complete multiple regression analyses. Elements of pain catastrophizing and the frequency and magnitude of barriers were compared. This investigation of environmental barriers and pain catastrophizing may advance our understanding of pain and participation that could be used for developing interventions for treating chronic pain and to improve the quality of life for people who have impairments.
Keywords: environmental barriers, pain catastrophizing