Lumley M A, Asselin L A, Norman S
Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
Compr Psychiatry. 1997 May-Jun;38(3):160-5. doi: 10.1016/s0010-440x(97)90069-9.
Prior studies of alexithymia in chronic pain patients have used unvalidated alexithymia measures or have not controlled for treatment-seeking status. In this study, we compared 30 patients with chronic pain and patients seeking treatment for two other problems: nicotine dependence (n = 32) or moderate obesity (n = 25). Alexithymia was assessed with the well-validated Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and also with the Alexithymia Provoked Response Questionnaire (APRQ). On both alexithymia measures, chronic pain patients were more alexithymic than nicotine-dependent and obese patients; the latter two groups did not differ. Chronic pain patients had greater psychopathology on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), and both alexithymia measures correlated positively with certain types of psychopathology. We conclude that alexithymia is increased among patients with chronic pain, that this relationship is not confounded by a treatment-seeking bias, and that alexithymia may contribute to both chronic pain and psychopathology.
以往对慢性疼痛患者述情障碍的研究，要么使用未经验证的述情障碍测量方法，要么未对寻求治疗的状态进行控制。在本研究中，我们比较了30名慢性疼痛患者与因其他两个问题寻求治疗的患者：尼古丁依赖（n = 32）或中度肥胖（n = 25）。使用经过充分验证的多伦多述情障碍量表（TAS）以及述情障碍激发反应问卷（APRQ）对述情障碍进行评估。在这两种述情障碍测量方法中，慢性疼痛患者比尼古丁依赖患者和肥胖患者的述情障碍程度更高；后两组之间没有差异。慢性疼痛患者在明尼苏达多相人格调查表-2（MMPI-2）上有更严重的精神病理学表现，并且两种述情障碍测量方法都与某些类型的精神病理学呈正相关。我们得出结论，慢性疼痛患者的述情障碍增加，这种关系不受寻求治疗偏差的混淆，并且述情障碍可能导致慢性疼痛和精神病理学。
