Understanding the link between feelings of mental defeat, self-efficacy and the experience of chronic pain

Objectives: ‘Mental defeat’ (MD) has been identified among people with chronic pain as a type of self-processing related to social role and rank. Research has linked it to anxiety, pain interference and functional disability. The relationship between MD and other cognitive constructs, such as hopelessness and depression, remains poorly understood. This study considers the association between MD, pain symptomatology and self-efficacy in the context of other cognitive factors. Methods: In total, 59 participants completed a questionnaire pack assessing anxiety, depression, hopelessness, pain catastrophising and MD in order to examine the relationship with pain symptomatology and self-efficacy. Results: Linear multiple regression analyses showed that anxiety was most strongly associated with pain symptomatology, accounting for 26% of the variance, while catastrophising showed the strongest association with sensory pain and MD the strongest association with affective pain. Finally, MD was found to be strongly associated with pain-related self-efficacy, accounting for 47% of the variance. Conclusion: This research has demonstrated the potential importance of assessing MD in chronic pain patients, suggesting that targeting these cognitions during interventions and therapy could be valuable. Furthermore, the study indicates that MD differs from related cognitive constructs involved in pain, such as depression, hopelessness and catastrophising.