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The relationship between surgical outcome and MMPI profiles in chronic pain patients
Author(s) -
Long Charles J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(198110)37:4<744::aid-jclp2270370410>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , outcome (game theory) , psychology , physical therapy , clinical psychology , medicine , personality , social psychology , mathematics , mathematical economics
Administered the MMPI as part of a comprehensive pain evaluation to 44 patients who were receiving surgery for low back pain. Surgical outcomes then were determined after 6 to 18 months, and the patients were grouped as surgery success (22) or surgery failures (22). MMPI profiles were examined for each group, and while there was a significant difference on the Hs scale, no other mean scores were discriminative. In contrast, when patients were divided into subgroups based upon MMPI profile configurations, a strong relationship existed between subgroup MMPI profile and surgery outcome. Thus, while these data argue against attempting to use group MMPI profiles to predict surgical outcome in patients who are suffering from pain, subgroup profiles do bear a strong relationship with surgery outcome and appear worthy of further investigation.