| Over the last several decades, research has reflected a growing recognition of the biological, psychological, and social contributions to the onset, progression, and maintenance of chronic pain. Moreover, chronic pain literature has examined the constructs of chronic pain acceptance, experiential avoidance, quality of life, pain severity, pain disability, positive and negative affect, and health care utilization in the understanding of chronic pain sequelae and treatment outcomes in this population. However, the current body of research has focused largely on primary care and specialty clinical populations, while, despite the increasing role of electronic media in health care, little is known about individuals who may access medical information and support via the Internet. The present study is an exploratory, cross-sectional investigation of behavioral, psychosocial, and medical treatment variables in a sample of persons with chronic pain (N = 148) actively involved in online chronic pain support groups. Results reflected demographic similarities and differences by gender and very few differences by race in this online sample. Higher chronic pain acceptance was predicted only by lower experiential avoidance and decreased pain disability. Furthermore, higher positive affect and lower pain intensity predicted increased levels of quality of life. Finally, aggregate medical utilization was predicted only by participant level of education. These results highlight the value of research utilizing online chronic pain samples and emphasize the utility of assessing and targeting of these behavioral, psychosocial, and medical treatment variables in the interdisciplinary treatment of chronic pain. |
