Social Support and Hindrance for Intervention Tasks

Description

The Social Support and Hindrance for Intervention Tasks (Van Denburg et al., 2025) is designed to evaluate the levels of social support and hindrance from significant individuals within the context of behavioral interventions for chronic pain. Specifically, it aims to measure the support provided by significant others during pain-coping skills training (PCST). The development of this instrument was for a study involving participants with hip or knee osteoarthritis and associated pain. These individuals underwent an eight-session, internet-based PCST program as part of a randomized controlled trial. The tool uses 16 items, assessed both before and after the intervention, drawing upon established concepts (e.g., Cutrona & Russell, 1990), psychosocial pain management frameworks (Keefe & Somers, 2010; Kroon et al., 2014), and intervention tasks (e.g., painTRAINER; Rini et al., 2015). The psychometric properties of these items, including factor analysis and reliability, have been reported.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Social Support and Hindrance for Intervention Tasks scales is to assess the extent of social support and hindrance from significant others among individuals undergoing behavioral interventions for chronic pain.

Instrument

• Test Type: Original

• Format: Inventory/Questionnaire. Responses are provided on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). Items are then averaged to create composite measures.

• Language Available: English

• Population Group: Human; Male; Female

• Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older)

• Population Details: The instrument was used with individuals experiencing hip or knee osteoarthritis and associated pain in the United States.

• Test Methodology: The study employed test reliability analysis, internal consistency assessment, factor analysis, and exploratory factor analysis.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the scales was high. Cronbach’s α for the support for learning and practicing pain-coping skills scale was excellent, ranging from .97 at pre-intervention to .92 at post-intervention. The α values for the hindrance to learning and practicing pain-coping skills scale ranged from .87 at pre-intervention to .93 at post-intervention, indicating good to excellent internal consistency.

Validity

No data is Available

Factor Analysis

An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using principal axis factoring as the extraction method, with an oblique (direct oblimin) rotation method to interpret factor loadings. The analysis confirmed that all items loaded sufficiently well onto their respective scales, with loadings of .60 or above.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

• Permissions: May be used for research and teaching purposes.

• Fee: No fee is required for use.

• Test Year: 2025

• Commercial: No

Authors

• Van Denburg, Alyssa N.

  • Author Orcid Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4380-3869

  • Affiliation: Northwestern Medicine, Lake Forest Hospital, Canning Thoracic Institute

  • Email: [email protected]

• Porter, Laura S.

  • Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine

• Somers, Tamara J.

  • Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine

• Keefe, Francis J.

  • Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine

• Rini, Christine

  • Affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

Correspondence Address

Van Denburg, Alyssa N.: Northwestern Medicine, Lake Forest Hospital, Canning Thoracic Institute, 1000 North Westmoreland Road, Level 1, Pavilion B, Lake Forest, Illinois, United States, 60045, [email protected]

Keywords

Behavioral Intervention; Chronic Pain; Pain-Coping Skills Training; Social Support; Hindrance to Learning and Practicing Pain-Coping Skills; Support for Learning and Practicing Pain-Coping Skills; Significant Others; Psychosocial Pain Management Frameworks

Reference’s

Van Denburg, A. N., Porter, L. S., Somers, T. J., Keefe, F. J., & Rini, C. (2025). Significant other support and hindrance for intervention tasks: Implications for interventions to improve health and well-being. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000271

Items of the Social Support and Hindrance for Intervention Tasks

This measure consists of 16 items which are worded slightly differently for pre- and post-intervention test administrations. The items assess two subscales: Support for learning and practicing pain-coping skills and Hindrance to learning and practicing pain-coping skills.Test items are available.

Part 1: Pre-Intervention Assessment (Expectations regarding painTRAINER)

Instructions: These questions ask about your “significant other”. This is the same person you answered questions about in the first questionnaire you completed today. That is:

• Your spouse or romantic partner, if you have one

• OR, if you do not have a spouse or partner, the one person you interact with on a regular basis who you are most likely to confide in and who you feel emotionally close to

Please think about this significant other as you answer the following questions.

We are interested in knowing how your significant other may respond to your participation in the painTRAINER study. The next questions ask about helpful things your significant other may do as you learn and practice pain-coping skills using painTRAINER.

For each question, check one box to indicate how much you disagree or agree that your significant other is likely to respond in these ways.

Response Scale:
1: Disagree strongly
2: Disagree
3: Disagree a little
4: Agree a little
5: Agree
6: Agree strongly

As I learn and practice pain-coping skills, I expect that my significant other will…

The next questions ask about unhelpful things your significant other may do as you learn and practice pain-coping skills using the painTRAINER program.

For each question, check one box to indicate how much you disagree or agree that your significant other is likely to respond in these ways.

Response Scale:
1: Disagree strongly
2: Disagree
3: Disagree a little
4: Agree a little
5: Agree
6: Agree strongly

As I learn and practice pain-coping skills, I expect that my significant other will…

Part 2: Post-Intervention Assessment (Experiences regarding PainCOACH)

Instructions: These questions ask about your “significant other”—the same person you answered questions about in the first questionnaire you completed today. That is:

• Your spouse or romantic partner, if you have one

• OR, if you do not have a spouse or partner, the one person you interact with on a regular basis who you are most likely to confide in and who you feel emotionally close to

Please think about this significant other as you answer the following questions.

The following questions ask about helpful things your significant other may have done as you learned and practiced pain-coping skills in PainCOACH.

For each question, check one box to indicate how much you disagree or agree that your significant other responded in these ways.

Response Scale:
1: Disagree strongly
2: Disagree
3: Disagree a little
4: Agree a little
5: Agree
6: Agree strongly

My significant other…

The next questions ask about unhelpful things your significant other may have done as you learned and practiced pain-coping skills in PainCOACH.

For each question, check one box to indicate how much you disagree or agree that your significant other responded in these ways.

Response Scale:
1: Disagree strongly
2: Disagree
3: Disagree a little
4: Agree a little
5: Agree
6: Agree strongly

My significant other…