Journal of abnormal psychology
-
The relation between catastrophizing, depression, and pain was examined in 125 chronic pain patients. The Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ; Rosenstiel & Keefe, 1983) assessed patients' use of cognitive and behavioral strategies to cope with chronic pain. A significant association between catastrophizing and depression was found. ⋯ All items contained in the Catastrophizing subscale were rated by all psychologists as being reflective of symptoms of depression and were removed from the CSQ. When this subscale was excluded, none of the remaining CSQ subscales were significantly related to depression. The discussion addresses the interpretive difficulties that arise from hypothesizing mediating relations between variables that are conceptually and operationally confounded.