Electronic Health Literacy in Individuals with Chronic Pain and Its Association with Psychological Function

Elena Castarlenas, Elisabet Sánchez-Rodríguez, Rubén Roy, Catarina Tomé-Pires, Ester Solé, Mark P. Jensen and Jordi Miró
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Elena Castarlenas: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Chair in Pediatric Pain Universitat Rovira i Virgili-Fudación Grünenthal, Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain—ALGOS, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Elisabet Sánchez-Rodríguez: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Chair in Pediatric Pain Universitat Rovira i Virgili-Fudación Grünenthal, Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain—ALGOS, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Rubén Roy: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Chair in Pediatric Pain Universitat Rovira i Virgili-Fudación Grünenthal, Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain—ALGOS, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Catarina Tomé-Pires: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Chair in Pediatric Pain Universitat Rovira i Virgili-Fudación Grünenthal, Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain—ALGOS, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Ester Solé: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Chair in Pediatric Pain Universitat Rovira i Virgili-Fudación Grünenthal, Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain—ALGOS, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
Mark P. Jensen: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Jordi Miró: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Chair in Pediatric Pain Universitat Rovira i Virgili-Fudación Grünenthal, Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain—ALGOS, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: Electronic health literacy skills and competences are important for empowering people to have an active role in making appropriate health care decisions. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to (1) examine the frequency of use of the Internet for seeking online information about chronic pain, (2) determine the level of eHealth literacy skills in the study sample, (3) identify the factors most closely associated with higher levels of eHealth literacy, and (4) examine self-efficacy as a potential mediator of the association between eHealth literacy and measures of pain and function in a sample of adults with chronic pain. One-hundred and sixty-one adults with chronic pain completed measures assessing internet use, eHealth literacy, pain interference, anxiety, depression, and pain-related self-efficacy. Results indicated that 70% of the participants are active users of the Internet for seeking information related to their health. The level of eHealth literacy skills was not statistically significantly associated with participants’ age or pain interference but was significantly negatively associated with both anxiety and depression. In addition, the findings showed that self-efficacy fully explained the relationship between eHealth literacy and depression and partially explained the relationship between eHealth literacy and anxiety. Self-efficacy should be considered as a treatment target in eHealth literacy interventions, due to its role in explaining the potential benefits of eHealth literacy.

Keywords: eHealth literacy; chronic pain; self-efficacy; psychological function (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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