Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Like all intentional acts, social support provision varies with respect to its underlying motives. Greater autonomous or volitional motives (e.g., enjoyment, full commitment) to help individuals with chronic pain (ICPs) are associated with greater well-being benefits for the latter, as indexed by improved satisfaction of their psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The present study investigates the processes explaining why partners' autonomous or volitional helping motivation yields these benefits. ⋯ Findings highlight the importance of ICPs of receiving support in general and the role of timing in particular, which especially matters when there is little support being received.