Personality and pain-related beliefs/coping strategies: a prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
The ways in which people adjust to chronic pain has been partly attributed to pre-existing personality traits, but most evidence to date is from cross-sectional studies and mainly with arthritis groups. The present study examined the effects of 5 personality dimensions on measures of pain-related beliefs and catastrophizing assessed 9 months apart with a heterogeneous chronic pain sample.


METHODS
One hundred forty-five patients with chronic pain presenting to a hospital pain center completed the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised, 3 measures of pain related beliefs, the catastrophizing scale of the Coping Strategy Questionnaire, and a 0 to 10 pain scale. Nine months from the initial assessment, patients completed the same measures, apart from the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised.


RESULTS
Of the 5 personality dimensions studied, only neuroticism was related to the pain-related variables. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses revealed that neuroticism was a significant predictor of residualized change in pain self-efficacy beliefs and pain control appraisals over the time of the study, after controlling for initial values of both constructs. However, the effects were small, suggesting that other factors play a role in the determination of such beliefs, in addition to neuroticism. In contrast, neuroticism was not a significant predictor of residualized change in catastrophizing responses over the same period. The findings provide partial support for the hypothesis that pre-existing personality traits place some patients at risk for poor adjustment to chronic pain.
Asghari
Ali
A
Department of Psychology, University of Shahed, Tehran, Iran.
Nicholas
Michael K
MK
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D018710:Pain Clinics; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors