[Psychosocial studies in patients in a condition after intervertebral disk surgery]

The psychosocial backgrounds were examined in patients making only slow recovery after lumbar disc hernia operation without organic cause, in patients with recurrent low back pain syndrome, and in a control group of healthy persons. These three groups of persons were employed as skilled or unskilled laborers. For the purpose of the study a self administered questionnaire (MISREP) was completed by the patients. This included psychological, medical, social, and sociological factors. The specific answers obtained were examined by means of statistically relevant methods to determine the difference between the three groups. The disc operation patients and the low back pain patients showed different attitudes to some specific questions. These concerned career prospects, early retirement, subjective assessment of overwork, frequency of illness, negative work conditions, job satisfaction, readiness to be retrained for a suitable job, relations with superiors and co-workers, positive expectations of medical treatment, various symptoms from the vegetative and somatic fields, and symptoms of depression and introversion. The information showed the control group to be most significantly different by a lower readiness for conflict and circumstances less characterized by conflict. The possibility of a specific personality structure is discussed in general and in detail.