The Assessment of Pain Behavior in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients

Observations of pain behavior have distinct
advantages over self-report measures of pain. This
is especially critical in a chronic lower back pain
population where self-report of pain is unusually
high. The goal of the current study was to
investigate whether a streamlined behavior
observation adapted from Keefe and Block s (1982) 10-
minute observation is effective in identifying
somatic amplification in a sample of Chronic Low
Back Pain (CLBP) sufferers. We examined the
relationship between a 4-minute behavior observation
and the Somatic Amplification Rating Scale (SARS), a
physiological exam measuring incongruent physical
symptoms. Somatic amplification describes the
tendency to report physical symptoms that are out of
proportion to medical findings. Ninety-seven
participants were recruited to take part in a study
that examined levels of somatic amplification,
affective distress, and frequency of pain behaviors.

Autorentext
Dr. Robert Cohen received his bachelor's of science in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and received his masters and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology with a focus on behavioral medicine and rehabilitation. He is currently practicing clincal neuropsychology in Florida.

Klappentext
Observations of pain behavior have distinct advantages over self-report measures of pain. This is especially critical in a chronic lower back pain population where self-report of pain is unusually high. The goal of the current study was to investigate whether a streamlined behavior observation adapted from Keefe and Block's (1982) 10- minute observation is effective in identifying somatic amplification in a sample of Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) sufferers. We examined the relationship between a 4-minute behavior observation and the Somatic Amplification Rating Scale (SARS), a physiological exam measuring incongruent physical symptoms. Somatic amplification describes the tendency to report physical symptoms that are out of proportion to medical findings. Ninety-seven participants were recruited to take part in a study that examined levels of somatic amplification, affective distress, and frequency of pain behaviors.