Pain coping strategies and related factors including demographics, pain characteristics, functional mobility in postmenopausal women with chronic musculoskeletal pain

This cross-sectional study investigated pain coping strategies and their relationship to demographic and clinical characteristics in postmenopausal women (PMWs) with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSP). PmW (n = 60) who presented to receive physiotherapy from a rehabilitation center participated. McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) was used to assess pain intensity and characteristics, Pain Coping Inventory (PCI) was used to assess strategies of coping with pain, and Timed Up and Go-Test (TUG) was used to assess functional mobility. Data were analyzed using descriptive analyses, paired-samples t-test, independent-samples t-test, Mann Whitney U-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation analysis. There was no significant difference in terms of marital status, educational status, and exercise habits between the participants' statuses of using active and passive strategies of coping with pain. Younger women (50-59 years of age) preferred active strategies more than passive strategies to cope with pain (p = .047). There were significant differences among the age groups in terms of "pain transformation" subdomain of active strategies (p = .007) and "sensory" subdomain of MPQ (p = .053). Strategies of coping with pain and functional mobility of participants were not significantly related (p > .05). Results indicated that age is a significant factor in coping with pain and pain characteristics. Healthcare providers should consider PmW's preferences and experiences with pain management when recommending pain management strategies.