The effect of coping strategies on the relief of pain following surgical intervention for lower back pain.

Subjects' use of coping strategies was assessed by use of the Coping Strategy Questionnaire in a sample of 50 back pain patients prior to undergoing a laminectomy procedure. Three factors--Self-Reliance, Loss of Control, and Active Coping and Suppression--accounted for a large proportion of variance in questionnaire responses. Two of these factors--Self-Reliance and Loss of Control--were found to be predictive of postsurgical adjustment above and beyond what may be predicted on the basis of either patients' presurgical medical status (type of disc and disability status) or their tendency to somaticize. This study also replicates previous findings in the literature regarding the effect of type of disc and one's tendency to somaticize on surgical outcome.