Ad. Holzberg et al., THE RELATIONSHIP OF COGNITIVE DISTORTION TO DEPRESSION IN CHRONIC PAIN - THE ROLE OF AMBIGUITY AND DESIRABILITY IN SELF-RATINGS, The Clinical journal of pain, 9(3), 1993, pp. 202-206
Objective: This study attempts to clarify the relationship between dep
ression and the cognitions of chronic pain patients. It was hypothesiz
ed that the ambiguity and desirability of self-rated traits would sign
ificantly predict level of depression. Design: The study incorporated
a correlational design in which subjects rated a number of traits as t
hey pertained to themselves and completed questionnaires on negative a
ffect and pain. Setting: Subjects were recruited from a Spine Program
and the Orthopaedic Clinic, at a tertiary care facility at the Univers
ity of Florida. Subjects: Fifty-eight chronic pain patients, two third
s of whom had primary back pain, were recruited for the study. Outcome
Measure(s): All subjects completed a Beck Depression Inventory and Mc
Gill Pain Questionnaire, and rated themselves on 28 traits characteriz
ed by the dimensions of desirability and ambiguity. Conclusions: A hie
rarchical regression analysis indicated that the subjects' self-rating
s on ambiguous negative traits significantlY Predicted level of depres
sion. Conclusions: Patients with chronic pain are more likely to ackno
wledge undesirable traits in themselves when they have higher levels o
f depression when the pain level was controlled. These findings may ha
ve important implications for the cognitive-behavioral treatment of ch
ronic pain patients.