Pain intensity, temperament traits and social support as determinants of trauma symptoms in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and low-back pain.
OBJECTIVE
The main goal of our study was to investigate the relationship between age, duration of pain, pain intensity, temperament traits as postulated by the Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT), social support dimensions and the level of trauma symptoms, as appear in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of 300 patients suffering from chronic pain in two groups comprised of 150 patients with a clinical diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 150 patients with a clinical diagnosis of low-back pain (LBP). They were analyzed together as a one group of 300 patients with chronic pain.


METHODS
Temperament was measured with the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour - Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI). Social support was tested with the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS). The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS-11) was used to measure pain intensity. The level of trauma symptoms was assessed with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Factorial Version Inventory (PTSDF).


RESULTS
The results of our study suggest that the intensity of pain, participants' age, Emotional Reactivity and Sensory Sensitivity as temperament traits, need for support, and actually received social support were related to the level of trauma symptoms. The sum of the squared semi-partial correlations showed that all six variables (age, pain intensity, Emotional Reactivity, Sensory Sensitivity, need for support and actually received support), account for 20% of the variance of general trauma symptoms level.


CONCLUSIONS
The importance of temperament traits, social support and trauma symptoms should be taken into an account in psychotherapy accompanying pharmacotherapy for pain.
Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Finance and Management, Warsaw, Poland.
Marcin
M
Rzeszutek
Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Włodzimierz
W
Oniszczenko
Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Katarzyna
K
Schier
ORLIK Outpatient Clinic, Warsaw, Poland.
Edyta
E
Biernat-Kałuża
Neuroorthopaedic Department, Institute of Rheumatology, Warsaw, Poland.
Robert
R
Gasik
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D058748:Pain Perception; D017288:Pain Threshold; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chronic pain; post-traumatic stress disorder; social support; temperament