Self-compassion in patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain: relationship of self-compassion to adjustment to persistent pain.

CONTEXT Self-compassion entails qualities such as kindness and understanding toward oneself in difficult circumstances and may influence adjustment to persistent pain. Self-compassion may be a particularly influential factor in pain adjustment for obese individuals who suffer from persistent pain, as they often experience heightened levels of pain and lower levels of psychological functioning. OBJECTIVES The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship of self-compassion to pain, psychological functioning, pain coping, and disability among patients who have persistent musculoskeletal pain and who are obese. METHODS Eighty-eight obese patients with persistent pain completed a paper-and-pencil self-report assessment measure before or after their appointment with their anesthesiologist. RESULTS Hierarchical linear regression analyses demonstrated that even after controlling for important demographic variables, self-compassion was a significant predictor of negative affect (β=-0.48, P<0.001), positive affect (β=0.29, P=0.01), pain catastrophizing (β=-0.32, P=0.003), and pain disability (β=-0.24, P<0.05). CONCLUSION The results of this study indicate that self-compassion may be important in explaining the variability in pain adjustment among patients who have persistent musculoskeletal pain and are obese.