The impact of chronic pain on the self-concept

✍ Scribed by David P. Armentrout

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1979
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 361 KB
• Volume: 35
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4679(197907)35:3<517::aid-jclp2270350309>3.0.co;2-6

✦ Synopsis

Compared self-concepts of three groups, medical patients, chronic low back pain patients and chronic head pain patients ( N = 60) to determine (1) whether chronic pain r t i e n t s have self-perceptions that differ from other medical patients; (2) w ether changes in self-perception are limited to hysical attributes and capacities; and finally (3) whether persons who suffer ifferent types of chronic pain would have differing self-concepts. Significantly lower self-concepts were obtained from groups of head pain and low back pain patients. Self-concept patterns for the two pain groups were quite similar with the exception of two self-concept components that were significantly lower for the head pain group. Differences were explained in terms of loss of many normal functions and disruption of normal life-styles. Implications for treatment of pain patients and for training of health professionals were discussed.