Personality assessment in chronic pain patients

Abstract

In Brazil, studies investigating the personality characteristics of chronic pain patients are scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the personality characteristics of patients with chronic pain and to compare them with those of patients without this condition. To this end, the Personality Disorders Dimensional Inventory and the Hypochondriasis scale of the Brazilian version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory were administered. Two different statistical analyses were carried out: the t -test to determine the differences between the scores for the two groups and the logistic regression analysis to examine the predictive power of the scales for the diagnosis of chronic pain. The results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) among the Histrionic, Hypochondriasis, and Sadistic scales as predictors for the groups studied, with larger effect sizes on the Histrionic and Hypochondriasis scales. The authors suggest that the use of these scales in a clinical context may provide important information for health professionals.Keywords: Chronic pain; Histrionic personality disorders; Hypochondriasis; Personality tests. Resumo

Psychometric Properties of the Inventário Dimensional Clínico da Personalidade (IDCP) using the Rating Scale Model

“…IRT offers direct and expeditious ways to establish diagnostic, clinically relevant standards. For example, the Item Reference Standard Setting Model (Embretson, 2000) used in this paper, allows for the assignment of meaning to scores on a test vis-à-vis standards (expected responses), allowing a more qualitative attribution of meaning on the numerical scale used (Carvalho & Primi, 2009;Carvalho & Primi, 2010;Linacre, 2009;Primi, 2004). As in the development of Item Reference Standard Setting use of IRT models offer key advantages to developers of instruments to measure psychological constructs.…”

Chronic Pain and Psychiatric Conditions

“…BPD is common in both general population and clinical settings, with point prevalence and lifetime prevalence in US general population samples found to be 1.6% and 5.9%, respectively [116]. In populations meeting criteria for personality disorder diagnosis of all kinds, chronic pain is more prevalent compared to populations without personality disorder diagnoses [117], and having BPD comorbid with a chronic pain condition is associated with worsening chronic pain symptoms [118]. Those with BPD also report more pain and chronic pain compared to the general population [119][120][121].…”

Contribuição do espaço da escuta terapêutica, com orientação fenomenológica hermenêutica, para a compreensão do discurso dos doentes após alívio abrupto e agudo da nocicepção

“…Quando comparados à população sem o diagnóstico, os pacientes com dor crônica apresentam diferença significativa entre os dois grupos quanto aos resultados de depressão, negatividade, dependência, masoquismo e hipocondrias (Marta et al, 2010;Castro et al, 2011;Carvalho et al, 2016).…”