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Disposition and adjustment to chronic pain.
Carmen Ramírez-Maestre1, Rosa Esteve
1Departamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamiento Psicológico, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071, Málaga, Spain. cramirez@uma.es
Current Pain and Headache Reports
|January 23, 2013
Summary
Personality traits significantly impact chronic pain adjustment. Understanding risk factors like neuroticism and resources like resilience can improve pain management strategies and treatment outcomes for patients.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Pain Management
- Behavioral Medicine
Background:
- Personal characteristics influence pain perception and adjustment in chronic pain patients.
- Existing research highlights the role of dispositional factors in the pain experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the relationships between specific personality traits and pain adjustment.
- To identify personality traits as risk factors or personal resources in chronic pain management.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of empirical studies on personality and pain adjustment.
- Selection of six key personality traits: neuroticism, anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, extraversion, optimism, and resilience.
Main Results:
- Neuroticism, anxiety sensitivity, and experiential avoidance are identified as risk factors contributing to disability in chronic pain.
- Extraversion, optimism, and resilience are identified as personal resources that enhance effective pain management.
Conclusions:
- Assessing personality structure is valuable in the multi-dimensional evaluation of chronic pain patients.
- Understanding individual personality traits can inform the design of pain intervention programs and predict treatment outcomes.
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