The Relationship between coping Strategies, Perfectionism, Beliefs Pain and the Chronic Pain after Controlling the Age Effects in Firefighters

Stress is perhaps the most common pain with which we are faced. None of other physical symptoms are general as pain. Accordingly, since the beginning of the recorded history, trying to control the pain has been the main goal of human beings. The present study examined the relationship between coping strategies, perfectionism, pain beliefs, and chronic pain among firefighters suffering from chronic pain after controlling the age factor. The study employed a descriptive-correlational method to examine 405 firefighters suffering from chronic pain. The sample was selected by multistage cluster sampling method. The participants completed the chronic pain, coping strategies, perfectionism, and pain beliefs questionnaires. Data were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation and partial correlation. There was a significant positive relationship between firefighters’ age and the duration of pain, chronic pain disorder severity, emotion-focused coping strategies, pain beliefs and maladaptive perfectionism. Moreover, there was a significant negative relationship between firefighters’ age and problem-focused coping strategies and adaptive perfectionism. After controlling the age factor, high levels of pain duration and chronic pain disorder severity were related to high levels of emotion-focused coping strategies, maladaptive perfectionism, pain beliefs and low levels of problem-focused coping strategies and adaptive perfectionism. Zero-order correlation revealed that, the age of subjects had little impact on the strength of the relationships between the variables of the duration of pain and chronic pain disorder severity. The results indicated that, participants’ age had little impact on the strength of the relationship between the variables. It implies that young firefighters have urgent need for psychological interventions pertinent to the chronic pain for reducing chronic pain disorder severity and its duration.