Assessing Psychosocial Factors for Chronic Pain Rehabilitation​

Overview

Psychosocial factors are aspects of the person, their problem, and their social context, that may affect rehabilitation (Kendall et al., 1997; Glattacker et al., 2018). These include but are not limited to, the patient’s attitudes and beliefs, emotions, behaviours, family, and workplace factors (Nicholas et al., 2011).

Despite the urgings of clinical practice guidelines and evidence of the influence of psychosocial factors on clinical outcomes, screening for yellow flags is uncommon in clinical practice (Stearns et al., 2021). There is growing evidence on rehabilitation interventions that target psychosocial interventions for people with chronic pain, although it remains unclear the effectiveness of these interventions (Kent et al., 2012).

In this course, attendees will be provided with and overview of psychosocial factors in chronic pain rehabilitation, and developing assessment strategies.

Learning Objectives

In this online course, participants will:

1. Be introduced to the concept of psychosocial barriers for chronic pain treatment
2. Explore the relevance of these factors and how these may influence chronic pain rehabilitation. You will learn tools and strategies to assess psychosocial factors within the chronic pain context.
3. Identify, understand, and assess psychosocial barriers for pain rehabilitation.
4. Learn effective strategies and approaches targeting psychosocial factors for pain rehabilitation
5. Assimilate evidence regarding the relevance of psychosocial barriers and their treatment for chronic pain rehabilitation.
6. Develop clinical reasoning skills related to the presence and treatment of psychosocial barriers for chronic pain rehabilitation.

Audience

This course is suitable for Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists with interested on pain rehabilitation not working in a specialised chronic pain rehabilitation.

Why This Course Matters

Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of long-term disability worldwide. Yet many rehabilitation programs still emphasize structural findings over behavioral and psychosocial contributors.

Research consistently demonstrates that:

• Psychosocial factors predict pain chronicity and disability more strongly than imaging findings.

• Fear-avoidance behaviors perpetuate deconditioning and functional decline.

• Catastrophizing amplifies pain perception and emotional distress.

• Clinician communication significantly influences patient beliefs, engagement, and recovery trajectory.

Failure to assess and address these elements may unintentionally reinforce dependency, passivity, or the adoption of a “sick role.”

This Embodia course empowers clinicians to move beyond symptom-based management toward psychologically informed physiotherapy and collaborative, multidisciplinary care - improving patient autonomy, resilience, and long-term outcomes.