Development of the Partner Pain Support Program

Abstract Chronic pain occurs in a social context, frequently impacting couples in a committed relationship. Most couples have a reciprocal influence on one another. Partners of people with chronic pain are both affected by pain and may play a (positive ornegative) role in pain management. Depending upon their skills and knowledge, partners may interfere with or facilitate coping with chronic pain. Further, partners of those with pain may confront multiple challenges themselves and may have inadequate resources for self-care, much less the ability to provide effective pain management support. The proposed Partner Pain Support Program (PPSP), is an online, psycho-educational system to enhance the effectiveness of partner support of individuals with chronic pain and to provide resources to assist partners in the management of the psychological, social, and/or motivational challenges of living with someone with chronic pain. The PPSP will be a stand-alone program or a companion to the Goalistics online Chronic