Journal
PAIN PRACTICE
Volume 16, Issue 4, Pages 486-494Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/papr.12297
Keywords
orofacial pain; psychology; temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome; personality; trigeminal neuropathy; temperament; character
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Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
- Australian Dental Research Foundation, Inc.
- Early Career Researchers/New Staff grant scheme of the University of Sydney
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The role of personality in the experience of chronic pain is a growing field, with endless debate regarding the existence of a pain personality. This study aims to compare different chronic pain types and consolidate the existence of a common personality. Thirty-two females with chronic orofacial pain and 37 age-matched healthy females were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised. Chronic pain subjects had either trigeminal neuropathy (neuropathic pain) or temporomandibular disorders (nociceptive pain). This study revealed that individuals with different chronic pain types exhibit a mutual personality profile encompassing significantly higher scores in Harm Avoidance and significantly lower scores in Self-Directedness when compared to healthy subjects. In fact, this combination is associated with Cluster C personality disorders. In conclusion, our study reveals that irrespective of type, chronic pain may be associated with Cluster C personality disorders. Indeed, there has never been empirical evidence in the past to suggest that chronic pain as an overall concept is associated with any particular personality disorders. Therefore, a potential future avenue of chronic pain treatment may lie in targeting particular personality aspects and shift the target of pain-relieving treatments from sensory and psychologically state focused to psychologically trait focused.
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