Date Approved
1-27-2025
Embargo Period
3-24-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Mathematics
College
College of Science & Mathematics
Advisor
Danielle Arigo, PhD
Committee Member 1
Rachel Pruchno, PhD
Committee Member 2
Steven Brunwasser, PhD
Committee Member 3
Jocelyn Remmert, PhD
Committee Member 4
Laura Konig, PhD
Disciplines
Clinical Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Millions of adults experience significant pain each year, costing individuals and our economy millions of dollars in lost productivity and negatively impacting quality of life. Pain is more common among women than men and is a known barrier to women’s physical activity (PA) engagement. Yet, PA helps manage pain and buffer against conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). For women in midlife with CVD risk factors (e.g., hypertension), little is known about daily pain fluctuation and the coping skills employed to manage pain. The current study examined daily pain and pain coping experiences among women ages 40-60 with one or more CVD risk conditions, using reports at the end of the day for 7 consecutive days (N = 60). They completed a baseline survey and 7 days of daily data collection that included validated measures of coping behaviors and pain experiences (occurrence, severity, location). The majority of participants (64.8%) reported pain at least once during the study and more than a third (34.5%) reported pain at multiple locations per day. On days with pain, 49% of variability in pain intensity was attributable to within-person fluctuation (and error). At the day level, the most common coping behavior was medication use, representing avoidant coping (vs. problem- or emotion- focused coping; 14.8%). No baseline coping score significantly predicted pain experiences at the day level (ps > 0.01). These results provide additional insight into the pain experiences of an at-risk group and sheds light on skills that may be particularly useful for coping with their pain in daily life.
Recommended Citation
Travers, Laura, "Daily Pain Experiences and Coping Approaches among Women in Midlife with Elevated Risk for Cardiovascular Disease" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 3327.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/3327
