The Demographics of Pain Catastrophizing in a Primary Care Sample

[摘要] The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS),1 which assesses catastrophic thoughts and feelings about pain, is well represented in the empirical literature. For example, the PCS has been studied in relationship to cross-cultural validation;2–4 various medical conditions, such as low-back pain,5 whiplash,6 chronic pain in incarcerated women,7 vaginismus,8 cancer,9 and postoperative pain;10 and various psychological investigations including family relationships,11 positive personal attributes,12 attachment dynamics,13 anxiety,14 and major depressive disorder.15 In addition, the PCS has been used to explore demographic differences in specific types of patient samples (e.g., samples defined by a singular pain syndrome). In these studies, gender,16-18 age,19 and ethnicity20,21 have tended to demonstrate demographic variations (i.e., higher in women in 2 of 3 studies; no age differences; higher in African-Americans). However, we were unable to locate a single study using the PCS to determine the demographic profile of pain catastrophizing in a primary care sample—the focus of the present study.

[学科分类] 精神健康和精神病学