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Chronic Pain: A Study Of Low Back Pain Patients From Southern West Virginia And Eastern Kentucky, Nickandrea M. Cooke

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) was administered to 60 males ranging from 22 to 65 years of age. Subjects were seeking treatment at Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, an outpatient mental health center, for depression/anxiety with a secondary diagnosis of chronic pain stemming from low back pain related to an injury. This study considered T-scores of a K-corrected profile using Scales F (Faking, 1 (Hypochondriasis), 2 (Depression), and 3 (Hysteria). Statistical interpretation of data was obtained through use of the General Linear Model at the p < .05 level of significance to determine variance among the groups. Subjects were assigned to three of six groups based on the criteria of age (less than 35 years vs. 35 years or older); duration of pain (less than one year's duration vs. one year or more duration); and medical evidence available (with clinical evidence to support an orthopedic diagnosis vs. those with no clinical evidence available). The results of this study showed that there was no significant difference between groups on the age variable and the only significant differences on the medical evidence variable were for Scales 2 (D) and 3 (Hy). On the duration of pain variable, significant differences among groups for all scales were noted. Also, chronic low back pain patients from this geographic area presented with extreme elevations on Scale F and high elevations on Scales 1 (Hs), 2 (D), and 3 (Hy), with a higher elevation on Scale 2 (D).