WITHIN-PERSON RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PAIN INTENSITY, MOOD AND PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY IN CHRONIC PAIN - A NATURALISTIC APPROACH

Fifty-seven chronic pain patients rated their pain intensity, mood and activity level, at a random time schedule, eight times a day during 6 consecutive days, according to the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). Within-person correlations among pain intensity, mood and activity lev el were calculated. We found pain intensity to be significantly associ ated with mood. However, the associations between pain intensity and a ctivity level, and activity level and mood could not be supported. Fur ther, we examined whether the relationship between pain intensity and mood was the result of a pattern across the day. Results showed that p ain intensity and mood were worst in the morning and improved during t he afternoon among participants whose pain intensity and mood were cor related significantly. We suggest that attentional as well as behaviou ral processes might explain the established day pattern of pain intens ity and mood. (C) 1997 International Association for the Study of Pain . Published by Elsevier Science B.V.