The contribution of general psychological acceptance and acceptance of pain to explain adjustment in females with endometriosis

A number of studies demonstrate that “acceptance of pain” is a significant predictor of different measures of adjustment in patients with chronic pain. One previous research suggests that “general acceptance” –i.e., acceptance of undesirable private experiences outside of the pain itself (e.g., negative thoughts and emotions)- may contribute to explain a significant percentage of the variation in adjustment beyond “acceptance of pain”. The objective of this study was to further examine the incremental validity of “general acceptance”, beyond “acceptance of pain”, to explain adjustment in females with endometriosis. Participants were 125 females with endometriosis and illness-related pain (Mean age = 33.8 years, SD = 5.8). They were recruited through the Endometriosis Association of Italy. Participants completed measures of general acceptance, acceptance of pain, distress, psychological well-being, and daily functioning. The results from Hierarchical Multiple Regression analyses showed that “acceptance of pain” explained 5% to 19% of the variation across all measures of adjustment, over and above that accounted for background variables, and these increases were statistically significant for all criteria. “General acceptance” contributed significantly to increase the percentage of explained variance across all criteria (from 2% to 42%), over and above the variance accounted for by background variables and “acceptance of pain”. The findings from this study support the unique role of “general acceptance”, beyond “acceptance of pain”, in the prediction of suffering and disability in females with endometriosis, and raise the question whether a broader approach to acceptance may increase the effectiveness of acceptance-based interventions in chronic pain settings.