A systematic review of the relationship between body image and chronic pain, and an empirical study on the psychological needs of people with lipoedema (lipalgia) syndrome, and the clinical implications arising from this.

Draper, Emily 2026. A systematic review of the relationship between body image and chronic pain, and an empirical study on the psychological needs of people with lipoedema (lipalgia) syndrome, and the clinical implications arising from this. ClinPsy Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Abstract Chronic pain affects approximately one in five adults globally and is now recognised as a health condition in its own right. Body image disturbance may be relevant to chronic pain through physical changes, perceptual distortions, comorbid psychological distress, and functional limitations, yet remains less studied than other psychological constructs. This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesise quantitative research on body image in adults with chronic pain. A systematic search of six databases and two grey literature sources identified 11 eligible studies, which were appraised as moderate to high quality using the Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies (QuADS) and synthesised narratively. Body image disturbance, encompassing both attitudinal dissatisfaction and perceptual distortion, was observed across most conditions studied, fibromyalgia, chronic low back pain, endometriosis, and post-stroke pain, but not adult-onset rheumatoid arthritis. Notably, disturbance extended beyond appearance-related dissatisfaction to an altered perception of the body, which appeared most pronounced in the region directly affected by pain. The association between chronic pain and body image was not uniform but appeared to be shaped by cognitive processes (particularly pain acceptance and catastrophising), psychological distress, personality and emotion regulation, sex, and age of onset. However, all studies were cross-sectional, samples were predominantly female and White, and only one measure was developed specifically for chronic pain. Findings support routine consideration of body image in chronic pain assessment and further investigation of interventions focusing on acceptance and body functionality. Future research should employ longitudinal designs, recruit more diverse samples, and develop condition-specific measures.

Item Type:	Thesis (DClinPsy)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords: Chronic pain, Body image, Body dissatisfaction, Body perception, Pain acceptance, Systematic review
Funders:	N/A
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 October 2026
Last Modified:	01 Oct 2026 16:05
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189784

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