Associação entre suporte social e incapacidade em indivíduos com dor lombar crônica: um estudo transversal

Abstract

Previous estimates from the Global Burden of Disease for low back pain confirm that the condition is the leading cause of disability in most countries. The biopsychosocial model reinforces the experience of pain and disability as multidimensional and dynamic interactions and is strongly recommended to guide the assessment and management of chronic low back pain. The objective of the present study is to analyze the association between social support and the level of disability in individuals with chronic low back pain. This is a cross-sectional observational study. The research was conducted at CDFAM between July 2024 and April 2025. Adults aged 18 to 60 years of both sexes were eligible to participate. Recruitment was carried out by convenience sampling through active search in the waiting room and printed materials disclosing the study objective and the researcher’s contact information. Participants underwent face-to-face data collection interviews, lasting approximately 40 minutes, using the following instruments: sociodemographic and lifestyle questionnaire, Numerical Pain Rating Scale, 36-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey (MOS- SSS), and the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Data were analyzed using Jamovi software through a multiple linear regression model to identify the association between disability and social support. In the model, disability was the dependent variable, social support was the predictor variable, and age, sex, years of education, number of comorbidities, and pain intensity were the adjustment variables. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (approval number: 6.902.189). A total of 120 individuals with chronic low back pain receiving care at the Primary Health Care Unit CDFAM (mean age = 46.02 ± 9.76, 81.7% female) participated in the study. The unadjusted model revealed that social support was negatively associated with disability (R2 = 0.15, β = -0.32, p < 0.001), indicating that higher levels of social support were associated with lower levels of disability. This association remained significant in the adjusted model (R2 = 0.35, β = -0.17, p < 0.018), which explained 35.3% of the variance in disability. This is one of the first studies to directly investigate the association between perceived social support and functional disability in individuals with chronic low back pain. The findings highlight the significant role of social support in the variability of disability levels in this population, emphasizing the importance of addressing social factors, particularly perceived social support, in the clinical assessment and management of chronic low back pain.