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Measuring counterdependency in patients with chronic pain
1Outpatient Psychiatry Consultation Program, SUNY Health Science Center, Syracuse, New York 13210, USA.
Psychosomatic Medicine
|June 15, 1999
Summary
Researchers developed the Counterdependency Scale (CDS) to measure traits like emotional suppression and self-reliance. This scale helps identify counterdependent characteristics often associated with chronic pain patients.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Pain Management
Background:
- Chronic pain patients are sometimes described as counterdependent.
- Counterdependency involves traits such as emotional suppression and self-reliance.
- Previous research was limited by a lack of formal measurement tools for these traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and describe the Counterdependency Scale (CDS).
- To provide a formal measure for assessing counterdependent traits.
- To investigate the relationship between counterdependency and chronic pain.
Main Methods:
- A five-item self-report questionnaire, the CDS, was developed.
- The CDS was administered to 150 patients in an outpatient psychiatry program.
- Data analysis included reliability testing and group comparisons.
Main Results:
- The CDS demonstrated normal score distribution, good interitem correlations, and test-retest reliability (r = 0.68).
- Patients with chronic pain (N=100) exhibited significantly higher mean CDS scores than those without chronic pain.
- CDS scores were found to be independent of demographic factors and measures of anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and somatic amplification.
Conclusions:
- Counterdependency is characterized by a distinct, measurable set of traits.
- The Counterdependency Scale (CDS) effectively measures these traits.
- These findings suggest a significant association between counterdependency and chronic pain.