Relationship between perceived self-control of pain, pain description and functioning.

Recent research has shown an association between preferred coping style and pain report. The present study explores in a sample of 51 patients with chronic pain of myofascial origin the relationship between a dispositional measure of coping, the internality dimension of the Pain Locus of Control Scale (PLOC), and ratings of pain intensity, frequency, and pain-related behavioral functioning. Patients above the median on the internality dimension of the PLOC reported their pain as less intense and frequent than those below the median. No differences were noted on the behavioral functioning measures. Results are consistent with previous studies and indicate an association between ability to control pain and variations in magnitude and periodicity of pain. The clinical implication of the data is that strategies which provide reduction in pain intensity and frequency might be expected to result in increased perception of personal control of pain.

Relationship of pain drawing scores to ratings of pain description and function.

We examined the relationship between pain distribution and measures of self-reported behavioral functioning, pain intensity, frequency, and quality in 51 patients with chronic pain. Results indicate that patients with more distributed pain report their pain as more disruptive to important areas of functioning and also report their pain as more intense and frequent. These results corroborate previous findings and suggest that pain distribution may be used as a useful clinical marker of disability status in chronic pain patients.

MMPI-A profiles of adolescent boys with a history of firesetting.

Firesetting in childhood and adolescence is associated with the more severe end of the conduct-disorder continuum and is considered to be prognostic of later pathology. The literature provides limited understanding of the pathology underlying firesetting in juveniles. This study compared the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Assessment-Adolescent profiles of 28 psychiatric inpatient adolescent boys with a history of firesetting with the profiles of 96 psychiatric inpatient adolescent boys who do not have a history of firesetting. Using multivariate analyses, the firesetting group appeared more pathological than did the nonfiresetting group as reflected by significantly higher scores on three clinical scales: Psychasthenia (Pt), Schizophrenia (Sc), and Mania (Ma). The firesetting group also scored significantly higher than did the nonfiresetting group on eight of the content scales: Adolescent-Depression, Adolescent-Alienation, Adolescent-Bizarre Mentation, Adolescent-Anger, Adolescent-Conduct Problems, Adolescent-Family Problems, Adolescent-School Problems, and Adolescent-Negative Treatment Indicators. Taken together, these results suggest that the pathology associated with juvenile firesetting is more complex as well as more severe than that associated with nonfiresetting conduct disorder. The firesetting group's profiles suggest that their psychopathology is not merely a severe behavior disorder but rather is indicative of feelings of distress, alienation, depression, and thought disorder or poor reality testing. This degree of inner turmoil may be motivational impetus for the firesetting itself.