Somatic, affective, and pain characteristics of chronic TMD patients with sexual versus physical abuse histories

Aims: This study examined whether temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients with sexual versus physical abuse histories differ ill their pain report, psychological distress, and somatic symptoms. Methods: Participants were 11 4 female TMD patients. The sample was divided into 3 groups based on abuse history: sexual abuse, physical abuse, or no abuse. Abuse histories were as sessed with a structured clinical interview. Measures used included the McG ill Pain Questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory the Beck Depressi on Inventory and the Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness. Group diff erences were analyzed Dy analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc compa risons. Results: Temporo-mandibular disorder patients with a history Of phy sical abuse reported significantly more pain, anxiety, and depressive sympt oms than did patients with a history of sexual abuse or no history of abuse . Furthermore, the results suggest that TMD patients with a sexual abuse hi story are not significantly different from Patients with no abuse history a cross the domains studied. Conclusion: Based on the differences found, it c an be argued that assessment of physical abuse histories by appropriately t rained clinicians should be a routine part of ally multimodel assessment of female chronic TMD patients.