The Influence of ‘Significant Others’ on Back Pain Disability: A Qualitative Pilot Study of Illness Perceptions

Conducted by: Dr Serena McCluskey, Dr Joanna Brooks, Professor Nigel King and Professor Kim Burton

Project leader: Dr Serena McCluskey

January 2010 – December 2010

Funding: BackCare (National Back Pain Association Charity) and Lancashire Condition Management Programme (NHS Blackburn with Darwen)

Back pain is a leading cause of disability in the UK, with chronic back pain accounting for around 20% of claims for long-term state benefit. Research suggests that what an individual believes about their symptoms and their illness condition (‘illness perceptions’) are important influences on clinical outcomes for back pain. However, the illness perceptions of 'significant others', including the individual’s spouse, partner or close family member are rarely explored, particularly in relation to persistent back pain and work participation.

In 2010, members of the Centre for Applied Psychological Research in collaboration with colleagues from the Centre for Health and Social Care Research (CHSCR) conducted a study into the influence of these ‘significant others’ on back pain disability, with the aim of initiating qualitative research in this area to further understand how those close to patients might influence functional outcomes for back pain patients. Interviews were undertaken with long-term disability claimants and their significant others to explore their beliefs about back pain.

The findings from this exploratory study revealed how other people and wider social circumstances might contribute both to the propensity of persistent back pain and to its consequences. This is an area that has received little attention to date, and wider support of these findings may usefully inform the design of future intervention programmes aimed at restoring work participation for individuals with persistent back pain disability.