Tatsuyuki Arimura

Relationships among alexithymia and pain intensity, pain interference, and vitality in persons with neuromuscular disease: Considering the effect of negative affectivity

&NA; Alexithymia, the inability to identify or label emotions, has been shown to be associated with pain in patients with a number of chronic pain conditions. We sought to: (1) replicate this association in samples of persons with chronic pain secondary to neuromuscular disease, (2) extend this finding to other important pain‐related measures, and (3) to determine whether relationships among alexithymia and study variables existed after controlling for negative affect. One hundred and twenty‐nine individuals with muscular dystrophy and chronic pain were administered measures of alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS‐20), pain intensity (0–10 NRS), pain interference (Brief Pain Inventory Interference scale), mental health (SF‐36 Mental Health scale; as a proxy measure of negative affect) and vitality (SF‐36 Vitality scale). Higher TAS scores were associated significantly with higher pain intensity and interference, and less vitality. Although the strengths of these associations were reduced when mental health was used as a control, the associations between the Difficulty Identifying Feelings scale and vitality, and the Externally Oriented Thinking and Total TAS scales and pain intensity remained statistically significant. The findings replicate and extend previous findings concerning the associations between alexithymia and important pain‐related variables in a sample of persons with chronic pain and neuromuscular disease. Future research is needed to determine the extent to which the associations are due to (1) a possible causal effect of alexithymia on patient functioning that is mediated via its effects on negative affect or (2) the possibility that alexithymia/outcome relationships reflect response bias caused by general negative affectivity.

A Multidimensional Measure of Pain Interference Reliability and Validity of the Pain Disability Assessment Scale

ObjectiveMeasuring outcomes across multiple domains is essential for an adequate understanding of chronic pain and the effects of pain treatment. Pain interference reflects the negative effects of pain on functioning, and is recognized as a critical outcome domain. The Pain Disability Assessment Scale (PDAS) contains items that assess the negative effects of pain on broad spectrum pain interference domains. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the PDAS. MethodsOne hundred sixty-four Japanese patients with chronic pain were administered the PDAS, the Brief Pain Inventory, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. ResultsThe findings support a 3 factor structure of the PDAS items, as well as a high level of internal consistency of the scales created from these factors (Cronbach &agr;s range: 0.87 to 0.95). Validity of the 3 scales was supported through their significant associations, in hypothesized directions, with measures of pain intensity, anxiety, depression, and another established measure of pain interference, as well as differences in PDAS scores between patients with versus without back pain. ConclusionsThe PDAS may be useful when researchers or clinicians require a multidimensional measure of the effects of pain on a patients life.

Psychopathological features of anorectic patients who dropped out of inpatient treatment as assessed by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

BackgroundAnorexia nervosa often requires inpatient treatment that includes psychotherapeutic intervention in addition to physical and nutritional management for severe low body weight. However, such patients sometimes terminate inpatient treatment prematurely because of resistance to treatment, poor motivation for treatment, unstable emotions, and problematic behaviors. In this study, the psychopathological factors related to the personality of anorexic patients that might predict discontinuation of inpatient treatment were investigated using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).MethodsSubjects were 75 consecutive anorectic inpatients who received cognitive behavioral therapy with a behavior protocol governing privileges in a university hospital based general (not psychiatric) ward. The MMPI was done on admission for all patients. A comparison was done of patients who completed the process of inpatient treatment, including attainment of target body weight (completers), and patients who dropped out of inpatient treatment (dropouts). Results: No significant differences between completers (n = 51) and dropouts (n = 24) were found in the type of eating disorder, age of onset, duration of illness, age, or BMI at admission. Logistic regression analysis found the MMPI scales schizophrenia (Sc), hypomania (HYP), deviant thinking and experience, and antisocial attitude to be factors predicting completion or dropout.ConclusionDropouts have difficulty adapting to inpatient treatment protocols such as our behavior protocol governing privileges because they have social and emotional alienation, a lack of ego mastery (Sc), emotional instability (HYP) and an antisocial attitude. As a result, they have decreased motivation for treatment, leave the hospital without permission, attempt suicide, or shoplift, which leads them to terminate inpatient treatment prematurely. Treatments based on cognitive behavioral therapy with a behavior protocol governing privileges should be carefully adopted for anorectic patients who exhibit the psychopathological elements identified in this study.

Alexithymia and Chronic Pain The Role of Negative Affectivity

Objectives:Alexithymia has been shown to be associated with key pain-related variables in persons with chronic pain from western countries, but the generalizability of these findings across cultures has not been examined adequately. Also, there remain questions regarding the importance of alexithymia to patient functioning over and above the effects of the general negative affectivity. Methods:Alexithymia, pain intensity, pain interference, depression, anxiety, and pain catastrophizing were measured in 128 Japanese patients with chronic pain. Because of the low internal consistency coefficients for 2 of the alexithymia scales (measuring difficulty describing feelings and externally oriented feelings) in our sample, we limited our analyses to a scale assessing difficulty identifying feelings and the total alexithymia scale score. Results:Although the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale total and the Difficulty Identifying Feelings scale scores were not significantly associated with pain intensity, these scales were associated with pain interference, catastrophizing, and negative affectivity in our sample. However, these associations became nonsignificant when measures of negative affectivity were controlled. Discussion:The findings support the cross-cultural generalizability of significant associations between alexithymia and both pain interference and catastrophizing. However, whether (1) alexithymia influences patient functioning indirectly by its effects on negative affect or (2) the univariate associations found between alexithymia and measures of patient functioning are a byproduct of both being influenced by negative affect needs to be tested using longitudinal and experimental research.

Pain questionnaire development focusing on cross-cultural equivalence to the original questionnaire: the Japanese version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-J) that focuses on cross-culturally equivalence to the original English version and to test its reliability and validity. DESIGN Cross-sectional design. METHOD In study 1, SF-MPQ was translated and adapted into Japanese. It included construction of response scales equivalent to the original using a variation of the Thurstone method of equal-appearing intervals. A total of 147 undergraduate students and 44 pain patients participated in the development of the Japanese response scales. To measure the equivalence of pain descriptors, 62 pain patients in four diagnostic groups were asked to choose pain descriptors that described their pain. In study 2, chronic pain patients (N=126) completed the SF-MPQ-J, the Long-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire Japanese version (LF-MPQ-J), and the 11-point numerical rating scale of pain intensity. Correlation analysis examined the construct validity of the SF-MPQ-J. RESULTS The results from study 1 were used to develop SF-MPQ-J, which is linguistically equivalent to the original questionnaire. Response scales from SF-MPQ-J represented the original scale values. All pain descriptors, except one, were used by >33% in at least one of the four diagnostic groups. Study 2 exhibited adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability, with the construct validity of SF-MPQ-J comparable to the original. CONCLUSION These findings suggested that SF-MPQ-J is reliable, valid, and cross-culturally equivalent to the original questionnaire. Researchers might consider using this scale in multicenter, multi-ethnical trials or cross-cultural studies that include Japanese-speaking patients.

Cognitions, Metacognitions, and Chronic Pain

PURPOSE Although the content of thoughts has received a considerable amount of attention in pain research, the importance of thought processes (metacognitions) has received less attention. METHOD One hundred twenty-nine individuals with muscular dystrophy and chronic pain completed measures assessing metacognitions and frequency of both catastrophizing and pain control beliefs. RESULTS Greater use of reappraisal and distraction metacognitions were associated with more perceived control over pain, whereas greater use of worry and punishment metacognitions were associated with more catastrophizing. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS The current findings indicate that metacognitions are associated with both pain control beliefs and catastrophizing and therefore may play an important role in the development or maintenance of pain-related cognitive content thought to influence patient functioning. Research is needed to determine whether treatments that encourage changes in both metacognitions and cognitive content are more effective than treatments that focus on cognitive content alone.

Global Catastrophizing vs Catastrophizing Subdomains : Assessment and Associations with Patient Functioning

OBJECTIVE The primary objectives of the current study were to 1) confirm the three-factor model of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) items in a Japanese sample and 2) identify the catastrophizing subdomain(s) most closely associated with measures of pain and functioning in a sample of individuals with chronic pain. DESIGN This was based on a cross-sectional observational study. SETTING This study was conducted in a university-based clinic. PATIENTS One hundred and sixty outpatients with chronic pain participated in this study. OUTCOME MEASURES Patients completed the PCS, the Brief Pain Inventory, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; 30 patients completed the PCS again between 1 and 4 weeks later. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor structure of the Japanese version of the PCS, and univariate and multivariate associations with validity criterion supported the validity of the measure. Catastrophic helplessness was shown to make a unique contribution to the prediction of pain intensity, pain interference and depression, and catastrophic magnification made a unique contribution to the prediction of anxiety. CONCLUSIONS The findings support the cross-cultural generalizability of the three-factor structure of the PCS and indicate that the PCS-assessed catastrophizing subdomains provide greater explanatory power than the PCS total score for understanding pain-related functioning.

Quality of Life and Psychological Factors in Patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

INTRODUCTION: As indication for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) has expanded, prophylactic implantations have increased. It has been well understood that some ICD recipients have psychological problems. Some of those problems are recognized as maladjustment syndromes.