Approach–Avoidance Motivation and Goal Adaptation in Chronic Pain: Predicting Pain Intensity and Interference

Chronic pain is a major public health concern associated with disability, reduced functioning and psychological distress. Compared with biological studies, relatively little research has studied chronic pain from a psychological perspective, specifically motivation. Yet, motivation is considered fundamental to human functioning and drives human behaviour. The present study aimed to investigate whether distinct motivational and adaptive goal processes are implicated in chronic pain. The sample comprised 190 adult community participants who reported chronic pain for 3 months or more. Participants completed self-report measures of approach and avoidance motivation, adaptive goal processes, pain intensity, and interference. As hypothesised, avoidance motivation (but not approach motivation) was positively and significantly associated with increased pain intensity and interference. Further, increased goal disengagement was negatively and significantly related to reduced pain intensity and interference, as predicted. Contrary to expectation, goal re-engagement was positively related to increased pain interference. As predicted, solving pain was significantly and positively associated with pain intensity and interference. As predicted, meaningfulness of life was related to lower pain interference but not pain intensity. Counter to prediction, acceptance of the insolubility of pain was significantly and positively related to both pain intensity and pain interference. Our findings highlight significant associations between motivational orientation, adaptive goal regulation processes, and chronic pain intensity and interference and underscore the importance of understanding chronic pain from a motivational perspective.