PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN CHRONIC IDIOPATHIC PROSTATITIS

Idiopathic prostatitis is a common, often chronic condition in which p sychological factors are suspected to play a role. Men with chronic pr ostatitis (n=51) and a control group of 34 men without any chronic pai n condition, equivalent on demographic characteristics, were compared on psychological and perineal muscle tension measures. Prostate-specif ic antigen and expressed prostatic secretion cell counts were also mea sured. Chronic prostatitis patients were consistently more elevated th an controls on hypochondriasis, depression, and hysteria (MMPI), and o n somaticization and depression (Brief Symptom Inventory), and were le ss elevated on masculine/instrumentality (Personal Attributes Question naire) scales. A cluster analysis of MMPI profiles revealed that 57% o f the chronic prostatitis patients produced generally unelevated MMPI profiles; whereas the remaining 43% fell into two groups with distinct pat terns of distress. The results indicate depression and psychosoci al distress are common among chronic prostatitis patients, calling for careful evaluation and attention to psychological symptoms. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.