PSYCHOLOGY, PSYCHIATRY & BRAIN NEUROSCIENCE SECTION Brief Research Report God Image and Happiness in Chronic Pain Patients: The Mediating Role of Disease Interpretation Jessie Dezutter, dra,* Koen Luyckx, PhD, † Hanneke Schaap-Jonker, Prof PhD, ‡§ Arndt Büssing, Prof PhD, ¶ Jozef Corveleyn, Prof PhD, †§ and Dirk Hutsebaut, Prof PhD † *Department of Psychology, † Psychology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; ‡ Protestant Theological University, Kampen; § Educational studies, Free University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ¶ Medical Department, University of Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany Reprint requests to: Jessie Dezutter, dra, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 postbox 3715, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Tel: 3216326127; Fax: 3216326144; E-mail: jessie.dezutter@psy.kuleuven.be. Abstract Objective. The present study explored the role of the emotional experience of God (i.e., positive and negative God images) in the happiness of chronic pain (CP) patients. Framed in the transactional model of stress, we tested a model in which God images would influence happiness partially through its influence on disease interpretation as a mediat- ing mechanism. We expected God images to have both a direct and an indirect (through the interpre- tation of disease) effect on happiness. Design. A cross-sectional questionnaire design was adopted in order to measure demographics, pain condition, God images, disease interpretation, and happiness. One hundred thirty-six CP patients, all members of a national patients’ association, completed the questionnaires. Results. Correlational analyses showed meaningful associations among God images, disease interpre- tation, and happiness. Path analyses from a struc- tural equation modeling approach indicated that positive God images seemed to influence happi- ness, both directly and indirectly through the pathway of positive interpretation of the disease. Ancillary analyses showed that the negative influ- ence of angry God images on happiness disap- peared after controlling for pain severity. Conclusion. The results indicated that one’s emo- tional experience of God has an influence on happi- ness in CP patients, both directly and indirectly through the pathway of positive disease interpreta- tion. These findings can be framed within the trans- actional theory of stress and can stimulate further pain research investigating the possible effects of religion in the adaptation to CP. Key Words. Quality of Life; Psychosocial Factors; Psychology; Chronic Pain Introduction A recent study revealed that nearly one in five Europeans suffer from chronic pain (CP) [1]. This pain condition has a devastating impact on both the individual and the society, leaving individuals depressed, unable to function properly in daily life, and frequently held back in their work [1]. Despite this detrimental influence of CP on the quality of life, very few studies exist on the role of psychosocial factors, and especially religion, on individuals’ adjustment to CP. However, the few existing studies indicate that religion might indeed influence the well-being of CP patients by, for example, mitigating stress or offering tools for coping [2–5]. Because CP impacts heavily on the lives of individuals, and because religion seems to play an important role for these patients, further research in this field is warranted. Consequently, we investigated how the experience of God (i.e., God images) influenced the Pain Medicine 2010; 11: 765–773 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 765