5th Edition of International Neurology Conference 2026

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic pain has a negative impact on the quality of life of the patients, which ends up having repercussions in various dimensions: personal, social, family and economic. In Portugal, chronic pain affects more than a third of the population (36.7%).

Objectives: Assess the impact of chronic pain in the family context, allowing a better understanding of the interference in family dynamics.

Methods: Multicentric observational cross-sectional study based on the Portuguese version of the Family Impact of Pain Scale (FIPS; Newton-John, 2005), a questionnaire composed of ten items (scored from zero to ten) that allows the assessment of the impact of chronic pain in the family context. The sample included participants over eighteen years old suffering from chronic pain. Results of the questions with values equal to or greater than five on the scale were considered to have a high impact.

Results: The sample included 124 participants, 78% female, with a median age of 62.5 years (interquartile range 52.0 to 72.0). Regarding the characterization of pain, 76.4% was of lumbar origin, 85.4% had pain for more than one year, 62.3% attributed it to joint cause, 17.9% reported pain on the same day of intensity 8 (0-10) and 35.8% reported maximum pain of intensity 10. Cronbach’s alpha value was 0.858, and the legibility index according to Flesch reading ease was 40.6. The FIPS results demonstrated a high impact (≥ 5.0) of chronic pain for most of the questions (P1, P2, P4, P6, P7 and P8). Questions nine and ten (P9, P10) were excluded from the statistical analysis because, for being optional, they had low response rates. Factor analysis allowed the questions to be divided into two components: physical activity and personal interactions, with higher levels of impact for questions related to physical activity.

Discussion: The results obtained support previous psychometric tests regarding the validity of the scale, and the values obtained confirm the negative impact of chronic pain in the family context.

Conclusion: This study has provided new data on the impact of chronic pain in the family context in adults, helping health professionals to analyse, understand and intervene with people suffering from chronic pain, with the aim of improving their quality of life.