PAIN COPING SKILLS TRAINING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIC KNEE PAIN-II - FOLLOW-UP RESULTS

This study examines six months follow-up data obtained from osteoarthritic knee pain patients participating in a study comparing pain coping skills training, arthritis education, and a standard care control condition. At the time of follow-up, patients receiving pain coping skills training had: 1) significantly lower levels of psychological and physical disability than patients receiving arthritis education, and 2) marginally lower levels of psychological disability (p<.052) and physical disability (p<.13) than patients in the standard care control condition. Although patients receiving pain coping skills training showed deterioration in their initial gains in psychological disability from post-treatment to follow-up, it was the only treatment group that showed a strong trend (p=.051) towards improvements in physical disability over time. Variability in outcome was noted; some patients showed better maintenance of treatment effects than others. Correlational analyses revealed that patients' scores on the Pain Control and Rational Thinking (PCRT) factor of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire were related to outcome at six months follow-up. Patients receiving pain coping skills training who scored high on the PCRT factor at the end of treatment had lower levels of pain, physical disability, and pain behavior at six months follow-up. The implications of these findings for future research on cognitive-behavioral interventions for arthritis pain and disability are discussed. © 1990 Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy.