Repression predicts outcome following multidisciplinary treatment of chronic pain

This study examined whether repression predicts outcome following multidisc iplinary treatment for chronic pain and whether links between anxiety and o utcome are obscured by repressors. Ninety-three chronic pain patients compl eted a LC-week pain program. Lifting capacity, walking endurance, depressio n, pain severity, and activity were measured at pre- and posttreatment. Low -anxious, repressor, high-anxious, and defensive/high-anxious groups were f ormed from median splits of Anxiety Content (ACS) and Lie scales of the Min nesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Gra ham, Teliegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). Significant ACS x Lie interactions were fo und for lifting capacity, depression, and pain severity changes. Planned co mparisons showed that both repressors and high-anxious patients performed p oorly on lifting capacity; repressors alone recovered poorly on depression and pain severity. Results imply that repression may interfere with the pro cess and outcome of pain programs.