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Personality characteristics of women with fibromyalgia and of women with chronic neck, shoulder, or low back complaints in terms of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and Defense Mechanism Technique Modified

Trygg, Tomas LU ; Lundberg, G ; Rosenlund, Elisabeth ; Timpka, T and Gerdle, B (2002) In Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain 10(3). p.33-55
Abstract
Objectives: To compare personality features of fibromyalgia patients with those of a disease control group with regional pain. Methods: A group of 33 women with fibromyalgia [FMS-group] was compared on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory [MMPI] and the Defense Mechanism Technique modified [DMTm] with 31 women [C-group] without this diagnosis who had localized chronic pain in their neck, shoulder, and/or low back areas and were very similar in chronological age, intelligence, and basic personality patterns. Results: As hypothesized the FMS-group scored higher than the C-group on the MMPI-scales of Hypochondriasis, Depression, and Hysteria. They also scored higher on Admission of symptoms,, Psychasthenia, Anxiety, Schizophrenia,... (More)
Objectives: To compare personality features of fibromyalgia patients with those of a disease control group with regional pain. Methods: A group of 33 women with fibromyalgia [FMS-group] was compared on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory [MMPI] and the Defense Mechanism Technique modified [DMTm] with 31 women [C-group] without this diagnosis who had localized chronic pain in their neck, shoulder, and/or low back areas and were very similar in chronological age, intelligence, and basic personality patterns. Results: As hypothesized the FMS-group scored higher than the C-group on the MMPI-scales of Hypochondriasis, Depression, and Hysteria. They also scored higher on Admission of symptoms,, Psychasthenia, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Social introversion, and a number of nonclinical subscales. The differences were not found to be due to differences in pain intensity. The only statistically significant difference in DMTm between the groups was that of FMS patients more often reporting the projected self to be positive and/or to be afraid, suggesting them to be more vulnerable than the comparison group to threatening experiences. Significant relationships between the disability level and the number of tender points, group membership, pain intensity, and various of the MMPI scales were found. Conclusions: There were no signs on the MMPI of serious psychological disturbances in either group, and at the "deeper" psychological level, assessed in DMTm, there were no marked differences between the two groups, a proneness to somaticize psychological pain being found in both groups. Both the MMPI and the DMTm results were interpreted as suggesting that a cognitive coping strategy program be considered for rehabilitation. The fact that both different symptoms and signs had importance when regressing disability might indicate that univariate approaches is not sufficient when investigating factors of importance for disability. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
fibromyalgia, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, pain, Defense Mechanism Technique Modified, disability
in
Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain
volume
10
issue
3
pages
33 - 55
publisher
Haworth Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000178182100003
  • scopus:0036384717
ISSN
1540-7012
DOI
10.1300/J094v10n03_03
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b17c4c97-8d82-4160-bdf9-82a43bb10a57 (old id 328315)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:20:25
date last changed
2022-03-28 23:35:16
@article{b17c4c97-8d82-4160-bdf9-82a43bb10a57,
  abstract     = {{Objectives: To compare personality features of fibromyalgia patients with those of a disease control group with regional pain. Methods: A group of 33 women with fibromyalgia [FMS-group] was compared on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory [MMPI] and the Defense Mechanism Technique modified [DMTm] with 31 women [C-group] without this diagnosis who had localized chronic pain in their neck, shoulder, and/or low back areas and were very similar in chronological age, intelligence, and basic personality patterns. Results: As hypothesized the FMS-group scored higher than the C-group on the MMPI-scales of Hypochondriasis, Depression, and Hysteria. They also scored higher on Admission of symptoms,, Psychasthenia, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Social introversion, and a number of nonclinical subscales. The differences were not found to be due to differences in pain intensity. The only statistically significant difference in DMTm between the groups was that of FMS patients more often reporting the projected self to be positive and/or to be afraid, suggesting them to be more vulnerable than the comparison group to threatening experiences. Significant relationships between the disability level and the number of tender points, group membership, pain intensity, and various of the MMPI scales were found. Conclusions: There were no signs on the MMPI of serious psychological disturbances in either group, and at the "deeper" psychological level, assessed in DMTm, there were no marked differences between the two groups, a proneness to somaticize psychological pain being found in both groups. Both the MMPI and the DMTm results were interpreted as suggesting that a cognitive coping strategy program be considered for rehabilitation. The fact that both different symptoms and signs had importance when regressing disability might indicate that univariate approaches is not sufficient when investigating factors of importance for disability.}},
  author       = {{Trygg, Tomas and Lundberg, G and Rosenlund, Elisabeth and Timpka, T and Gerdle, B}},
  issn         = {{1540-7012}},
  keywords     = {{fibromyalgia; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; pain; Defense Mechanism Technique Modified; disability}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{33--55}},
  publisher    = {{Haworth Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain}},
  title        = {{Personality characteristics of women with fibromyalgia and of women with chronic neck, shoulder, or low back complaints in terms of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and Defense Mechanism Technique Modified}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J094v10n03_03}},
  doi          = {{10.1300/J094v10n03_03}},
  volume       = {{10}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}