Pain catastrophizing in music students: Examining its relationship with psychological inflexibility and perfectionism

Music students face demands during training that can make them vulnerable to various issues, including pain that may limit their performance. The objective of this study is to examine the relationships between psychological inflexibility, perfectionism, and pain catastrophizing in music students. A non-probabilistic sample of 145 classical music students (42.4% male) participated, with a mean age of 27.77 years. Of these, 89.66% studied in public conservatories. Pain catastrophizing was assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, psychological inflexibility with the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, and perfectionism with the Multidimensional Inventory of Perfectionism in Sport. Participants had an average of 11.63 years of musical training, with 91% reporting pain associated with practice and 42.1% indicating they had temporarily stopped playing due to pain. Higher psychological inflexibility was significantly correlated with increased pain catastrophizing, particularly in the dimensions of rumination, magnification, and helplessness. Pain catastrophizing also correlated positively with both striving for perfection and negative reactions to imperfection; however, magnification and helplessness were not significantly associated with striving for perfection. Students who linked pain to instrument use, as well as those who had temporarily stopped playing due to pain, exhibited greater pain catastrophizing, as reflected in higher rumination, magnification, and helplessness scores. However, these groups did not differ significantly in psychological inflexibility or perfectionism scores. Pain catastrophizing is essential in assessing pain among music students. Acceptance and commitment therapy may help address behaviors related to psychological inflexibility and perfectionism, potentially impacting students’ pain perception.