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Personality traits of the chronic pain population comparatively to neurotic and control groups
$69 PERSONALITY TRAITS OF THE CHRONIC PAIN POPULATION COMPARA79 Po TIVELY TO NEUROTIC AND CONTROL GROUPS. J. Barg I, A. Perez 2 Monday C. Main 3 and M.R. Bond 4, ipsychiatric Department, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot, Israel; 2St. Crispans Hospital, Dunstan, Northampton, U.K.; 3,4 Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, U.K. Aim of Investigation: Personality traits were compared in three groups; the chronic pain group, the neurotic group and a control group, by using Middlesex Hospital questionnaire, Zung Self Rating Depression Scale, Shortened Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and Pilowsky's Illness Behaviour Questionnaire. Methods: 38 patients suffering from pain for at least six months comprised the chronic pain group. The neurotic group consisted of 35 patients attending group psychotherapy because of neurotic disorders and there was a control group of 78 people. Results: In general terms the results obtained support those of earlier studies of chronic pain patients attending pain clinics. They show that psychiatric patients have higher levels of neuroticism than chronic pain patients but that the two groups do not differ as far as somatic and hypochondriacal symptoms are concerned. Both groups score significantly higher than normal subjects on all measures except of hysteria. Conclusion: The results obtained will be presented to support earlier studies of this type. In addition, a detailed analysis of the relation of psychopathological measures to sub-types of pain sufferers will be presented to clarify this area of our understanding of chronic pain problems.
COGNITIVE MODIFICATION OF PAIN BY VARYING CONTEXT, EX~E~TA80 PO 1 TION, INFORMATIO~,oAND SUGGESTION. Samuel F. Dworkin ' & Monday ~_drew C.N. Chen ~'~ Depts. of ~Psychiatry & Behavioral Sci. Oral Medicine. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, W.A. 98195, U.S.A. Human pain experience is known to be shaped by cognitive processes which determine a current situation or stimulus as painful. We will report on a series of studies evaluating the mode of operation and relative efficacy of several cognitive processes thought to be implicated in the pain ex{erience. An original study considered the influence of situational context on pain reports in laboratory and clinical settings. Our data confirmed that a research laboratory yielded pain reports which are qualitatively and quantitatively different from a clinical pain setting for identical stimuli. Next, we conducted a series of laboratory and clinical studies using N^0 in concentrations from 15 to 45% interacting with varying levels of expectancy, information and suggestion. We demonstrated that these cognitive variables could either reverse or enhance the supposed chemical analgesia of N20 according to the cognitive context under which the drug was received. The measures of pain sensitivity recorded were Absolute Sensation Threshold, Pain Threshold and Pain Tolerance. Subjective measures of stimulus intensity, aversiveness, and mood state as well as state and trait anxiety and specific dental fear/anxiety were assessed. An Efficacy Index was derived allowing the size of effect of these cognitive interventions to be contrasted. Our presentation will include the significant data from each study. The overall discussion emphasizes two points: (a) the implication for our findings that systematically varying cognitive processes leads to diverse yet predictable perceptions of pain; (b) controlling readily accessible cognitive processes can lead to improved management of acute pain. (Supported by NIDR Grant DE-05130, NIH, U.S.A.)
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COGNITIVE MODIFICATION OF PAIN BY VARYING CONTEXT, EX~E~TA80 PO 1 TION, INFORMATIO~,oAND SUGGESTION. Samuel F. Dworkin ' & Monday ~_drew C.N. Chen ~'~ Depts. of ~Psychiatry & Behavioral Sci. Oral Medicine. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, W.A. 98195, U.S.A. Human pain experience is known to be shaped by cognitive processes which determine a current situation or stimulus as painful. We will report on a series of studies evaluating the mode of operation and relative efficacy of several cognitive processes thought to be implicated in the pain ex{erience. An original study considered the influence of situational context on pain reports in laboratory and clinical settings. Our data confirmed that a research laboratory yielded pain reports which are qualitatively and quantitatively different from a clinical pain setting for identical stimuli. Next, we conducted a series of laboratory and clinical studies using N^0 in concentrations from 15 to 45% interacting with varying levels of expectancy, information and suggestion. We demonstrated that these cognitive variables could either reverse or enhance the supposed chemical analgesia of N20 according to the cognitive context under which the drug was received. The measures of pain sensitivity recorded were Absolute Sensation Threshold, Pain Threshold and Pain Tolerance. Subjective measures of stimulus intensity, aversiveness, and mood state as well as state and trait anxiety and specific dental fear/anxiety were assessed. An Efficacy Index was derived allowing the size of effect of these cognitive interventions to be contrasted. Our presentation will include the significant data from each study. The overall discussion emphasizes two points: (a) the implication for our findings that systematically varying cognitive processes leads to diverse yet predictable perceptions of pain; (b) controlling readily accessible cognitive processes can lead to improved management of acute pain. (Supported by NIDR Grant DE-05130, NIH, U.S.A.)
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