Background: Motivation in the concept of the transtheoretical model (TTM) is the readiness to change attitudes and behaviour. According to this patients with chronic pain pass through different stages of change (precontemplation, preparation, action, maintenance) before they adopt a new behaviour (e.g. relaxation exercise). This study analyses the impact of readiness to change over the course of 3 months.
Methods: Different questionnaires [coping with pain, impairment of pain, self-efficacy expectations and the German version of the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaires (PSOCQ), the FF-STABS] were administered two times to 74 patients of a rehabilitation clinic. Statistical analysis of covariance (SAS PROC MIXED) was used to analyse the relevance of the stages of change for the course of coping with chronic pain.
Results and conclusions: The stages of preparation, action and maintenance show statistically significant interrelations with coping with chronic pain subscales, and precontemplation covaries significantly with impairments of pain. The data suggest the relevance of the "readiness to change" concept for the realization of appropriate coping with chronic pain.