To examine changes in the association between pain and patient quality of life (QoL), depressive symptoms, and disability in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) at varying levels of spouse responses to pain.

One-hundred eighty-eight men with CP/CPPS completed a questionnaire, including demographic information. The outcome variables were mental QoL (SF-12 MCS), physical QoL (SF-12 PCS), depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale), and disability (Pain Disability Index). Patients also reported on the types of responses they had from their spouses (Multidimensional Pain Inventory), and pain (Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire).

The association between pain and disability was stronger at higher levels of solicitous responses (eg, “Does some of my chores”) (β = 0.66, P <.05) than it was at moderate (β = 0.44, P <.05) and lower (β = 0.23, ns) levels. In contrast, the association between pain and disability was stronger at lower levels (β = 0.64, P <.05) of distracting responses (eg, “Tries to get me involved in some activity”) than it was at moderate (β = 0.44, P <.05) and higher (β = 0.25, P <.05) levels.

Solicitous responses to pain increased the negative impact of pain on disability, whereas distracting responses to pain decreased the negative impact of pain on disability in men with CP/CPPS. Solicitous responses may be a reaction to patient pain and associated disability, or may help create or maintain the patient's pain and disability. In either case, distracting rather than solicitous responses to patient pain are to be encouraged in symptom management.