Background: The majority continue with their daily activities with minimal interference from their pain.To evaluate passive coping as a risk factor for disabling neck or lower back pain. Materials & methods: A total of 50 individuals with non-disabling neck and/or low back pain were enrolled. Participants were followed 6 and 12 months after the index survey. Coping was measured. The result was analysed using SPSS software. Results: Individuals who reported a moderate level of passive coping strategies were 5.26 (95% CI=1.50–14.8) times more likely to develop disabling pain than people reporting a low level of passive coping. Conclusion: Passive coping is a strong and independent predictor of disabling neck and/or back pain. Keywords: back pain, neck pain, passive coping.