Clinical Features of Health locus of Control Beliefs in Chronic Facial Pain Patients*

Abstract

Forty-two patients presenting to a university-based, multidisciplinary pain clinic with chronic pain in the head/neck region completed a scale assessing their belief systems on personal control of health behaviors. The patients were dichotomized into high and low groups on three scale factors (internality. powerful other, and channel and compared on measures of pain description and quality, health related behaviors, and psychological functioning. In particular, patients attributing health control to powerful others were older, less likely to report use of analgesies, and were more convinced of a somatic basis for their symptoms. Patients who attributed control of health behaviors to themselves obtained lower disease conviction scores and reported greater “other” medication use. Patients attributing control to chance factors were less educated and obtained higher disease conviction scores. The results of the study indicate considerable variation among chronic facial pain patients in belief systems regarding personal control of health behaviors and the clinical implications for differential pain management strategies are discussed.