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Measuring Mental Defeat in Chronic Pain Patients

Researchers in England are testing the validity and reliability of a test for mental defeat. Mental defeat is defined as thoughts that cause a patient to see pain as an enemy. For a person with mental defeat, the effects of pain assault the person's life and sense of identity.

This study reports on the use of the Pain Self Perception Scale (PSPS) to measure mental defeat in five groups of people. The groups included 1) chronic pain patients, 2) patients with acute pain, 3) pain-free controls, 4) volunteers with chronic pain who weren't getting any treatment, and 5) patients with anxiety disorders.

The PSPS was adapted from two other studies in order to use it with chronic pain patients. It was tested on healthy volunteers and a group of chronic pain patients first. Changes were made in the wording of some questions. Then the test was given to these five groups. Pain and mood were also measured using two other tools.

Results showed that the PSPS is a reliable scale to measure mental defeat. Chronic pain patients seeking treatment had the highest scores compared to all the others. They showed higher levels of mental defeat even compared to chronic pain patients who were not seeking care.

The authors conclude it may be possible to find a link between chronic pain, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Using the PSPS to identify patients with mental defeat may help them find more effective treatment. A shorter version of the survey is being developed.

References: Nicole K. Y. Tang, DPhil, et al. Mental Defeat in Chronic Pain: Initial Exploration of the Concept. In The Clinical Journal of Pain. March/April 2007. Vol. 23. No. 3. Pp. 222-232.

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