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Published on: March 15, 2019
Association between optimism and self-reported facial pain
Kirsi Sipilä1, Pekka V Ylöstalo, Ellen Ek
1Institute of Dentistry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. kirsi.sipila@oulu.fi
Objective:
The objective of this study was to assess the association between optimism and self-reported facial pain.
Material And Methods:
Data were obtained for 5,696 subjects born in 1966 in Northern Finland and included in the study of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort. Data on facial pain were collected using a questionnaire. Optimism was measured using the revised version of the Life Orientation Test.
Results:
The data showed that optimism was inversely associated with facial pain. Associations were found only among non-depressive subjects.
Conclusions:
It can be concluded that optimism is an independent psychosocial determinant of pain experience that should be taken into account in assessing the prognosis of facial pain and its treatment.
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