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Personality, Cognitive Appraisal and Adjustment in Chronic Pain Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Ana Mª Herrero ,
Carmen Ramírez-Maestre  and
Vanessa González
Ana Mª Herrero
Affiliation:
Universidad de Málaga(Spain)
Carmen Ramírez-Maestre*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Málaga(Spain)
Vanessa González
Affiliation:
Universidad de Málaga(Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Carmen Ramírez-Maestre, Departamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamiento Psicológico, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071 Málaga (Spain). Phone: +34 952-132430. Fax: +34 952-131101. Email: cramirez@uma.es
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Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between clinical personality patterns and cognitive appraisal as well as their repercussions on adjustment to chronic pain in a sample of 91 patients. It was predicted that clinical personality patterns would be related to adjustment and cognitive appraisal processes, whereas cognitive appraisals would be related to anxiety, depression and levels of perceived pain. The instruments used were as follows: the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, the Cognitive Appraisal Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Mann Whitney U-test were used to analyse the data obtained. The results show that certain clinical personality patterns were associated with poor adjustment to chronic pain. The use of cognitive appraisal of harm predicted higher anxiety levels and greater perceived pain in chronic pain patients. The use of cognitive appraisals of challenge predicted lower depression levels.

Este estudio investigó la relación entre los patrones clínicos de personalidad y la evaluatión cognitiva y sus repercusiones sobre la adaptación al dolor crónico en una muestra de 91 pacientes. Se predijo que los patrones de personalidad se relacionarían con los procesos de ajuste y de evaluación cognitiva, mientras que las evaluaciones cognitivas se relacionarían con la ansiedad, la depresión y los niveles de dolor percibido. Se emplearon los siguientes instrumentos: el Inventario Clínico Multiaxial de Millon, el Cuestionario de Evaluación Cognitiva, las Escalas de Ansiedad y Depresión Hospitalarias y el Cuestionario de Dolor de McGill. Se emplearon el análisis de regresión múltiple y los tests de Kruskal-Wallis y de Mann Whitney para analizar los datos obtenidos. Los resultados muestran que ciertos patrones clínicos de personalidad se asociaban con baja adaptación al dolor crónico. El uso de la evaluación cognitiva del daño predijo niveles más altos de ansiedad y mayor dolor percibido en los pacientes de dolor crónico. El uso de la evaluación cognitiva de retos predijo niveles más bajo de depresión.

Keywords

chronic painMillon Inventorycognitive appraisalanxietydepressiondolor crónicoInventario Millonevaluación cognitivaansiedaddepresión
Type
Articles
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , November 2008 , pp. 531 - 541
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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