An exploration of attitudes towards psychological interventions for pain management amongst Maltese pain chronic sufferers

Chronic pain is a living reality for many individuals. Research reveals that individuals are often reluctant to seek psychological help. Chronic pain research and attitudes towards psychological treatment among a Maltese chronic pain population is solely lacking. This study sought to explore attitudes towards psychological interventions for the management of chronic pain amongst persons with chronic pain. A grounded theory methodology was adopted. Interviews were conducted with 21 participants. Five superordinate categories comprising 12 sub-categories were generated. An attitude model reflecting inter-relationships between categories was developed. The theory entitled ‘Readiness to Try What Ever it Takes’ reveals that a number of facilitating factors contribute to the formation of positive attitudes to psychological help-seeking. Although the study did not reveal polarized views in relation to gender, impeding factors comprising negative affect, lacking resources and stigma hinder help-seeking behaviour. Most participants were unfamiliar with psychological services for pain management. Findings also indicate that individuals who perceive a link between psychological factors and pain are not necessarily more inclined to access psychological help, mostly because help-seeking behaviour is influenced by an array of psychosocial factors which are difficult to quantify. Service uptake can be enhanced by adopting a bio-psychosocial framework incorporating cultural factors and a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment involving not just health care professionals, but also significant others who influence the chronic pain sufferers’ decision-making, including family members and the clergy.peer-reviewe