Abstract
Background: Chronic pain has detrimental effects on patients’ social integration and also affects patients’ significant others. This study asks if chronic pain patients, their spouses and pain-free couples differ in their self-reported relationship satisfaction and the quality and quantity of their social relationships with others.Methods: Self-report data on relationship satisfaction (Partnership Questionnaire, PFB-K), perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, MSPSS), and social network size (Social Network Index, SNI) were collected online from 136 individuals, representing 34 chronic pain and 34 pain-free couples, matched on age and relationship duration. Chronic pain patients were recruited from a tertiary pain centre and presented with various pain conditions, mainly non-specific back pain, musculoskeletal pain and neuropathy. Pain-free couples were recruited from the general population.Results: Linear mixed model analyses showed lower relationship satisfaction in chronic pain patients, and couples with longer relationship duration. The presence of chronic pain and longer relationship duration were particularly associated with reduced satisfaction on the PFB-K Tenderness subscale, assessing physical closeness. Moreover, patients perceived lower social support from friends but did not have fewer social contacts. Descriptively, chronic pain patients’ partners ranged between patients and controls regarding relationship satisfaction and perceived social support.Conclusions: Chronic pain seems to complicate partnership, especially intimacy, and the quality of friendships for chronic pain patients, but not necessarily for their spouses. Our results highlight the need for multidimensional pain management strategies, which include assessing and targeting aspects of social functioning in romantic relationships and beyond.