CHRONIC BACK-PAIN INTENSITY AND PERSONALITY - MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS

It was supposed, that regression analysis of pain intensity scores is comparable with factor analysis in intelligence or personality measure ment. Sample of 78 patients with chronic back pain was tested by VAS, PEN, Loc (Locus of control scale), N5 and MFS (Mood and feeling scales ). It was hypothesized, that pain intensity (VAS score) correlates wit h affective-related traits Neuroticism and Extraversion, with cognitiv e trait Externality, with Number and Intensity of neurotic symptoms, a nd with parameters operationally defined ''depressive mood'', ''anxiou s mood'' and ''angry and hostile mood''. The battery used explains 36% , L-scale, Intensity and Number of neurotic symptoms together explain 15% of the pain intensity. State (mood) variables more closely correla te with VAS than personality traits do. The depressive, anxious and an gry or hostile states yield an important system in the psychological p icture of the chronic pain patients, dependent both on personality str ucture (Extraversion and Locus of control especially) and on pain inte nsity.