Abstract
Chronic low back pain is a disease that interferes with quality of life and the patient's functional capability. This study aimed to identify the moderating effect of the “Type of Family” in the relationship between functional disability and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain. Two hundred and three patients with low back pain for longer than 3 months participated in the study. The instruments used were: Medical Outcome Study (MOS 20); Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDO; Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES II). Regression analyses were performed in order to test the moderating effect of the type of family. The results showed that patients with lower levels of disability presented better quality of life in the intermediate and balanced families, and this relationship was even stronger in balanced families. According to the results, intervention programs in chronic low back pain, besides the patient, should include the family particularly in balanced families since they are the ones that feel the impact of the disease on their quality of life the most.
Key words
Chronic low back pain; Disability; Family; Quality of life
