Prediction of outcome: Anxiety sensitivity: A dimension of obsessive personality in dysfunctional chronic pain patients?

Abstract

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of symptoms of anxiety due to concerns that these symptoms have harmful physical, emotional, and social consequences. AS predicts adjustment to a wide range of pain disorders. Research also shows that AS is associated with a fear of strong emotions, a core dimension of obsessive personality. The present study examined whether obsessive personality traits may partly account for the association between AS and poor adjustment to pain. One hundred and ninety-eight chronic pain patients completed self-report measures of personality and adjustment. Regression analyses indicated that obsessive personality traits partly account for the association between AS and poor adjustment to pain. Cluster analyses were also conducted to identify an obsessive cluster of patients. Between-cluster differences in adjustment scores were assessed. Future research should examine the behavioural processes through which AS and other dimensions of obsessive personality influence adjustment to chronic pain.