Awake EEG disregulation in good compared to poor sleepers.

This study was designed to test a disregulation model of sleep deprivation by assessing the ability of good sleepers compared to poor sleepers to shift daytime EEG patterning to changing environmental demands. Ten good and ten poor sleepers were identified from a sample of 110 college students who completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI). EEG and SCR were recorded during a five task assessment session, including: (1) pre-baseline, (2) eyes open at rest, (3) eyes closed at rest, (4) sensory attentiveness (listening to an audio book clip), and (5) cognitive effort (a higher level cognitive flexibility task).

The cognitive risk profile for pain: development of a self-report inventory for identifying beliefs and attitudes that interfere with pain management.

Objectives: An extensive body of research suggests that maladaptive beliefs about chronic pain can have a negative impact on patient adherence and treatment response. A series of studies to develop and validate a clinically-based, self-report instrument for pain beliefs, the Cognitive Risk Profile for Pain (CRPP), was undertaken. We sought to expand the existing body of knowledge for pain beliefs by development of an instrument with a somewhat different content and format than prior pain belief measures, and a primary focus on clinical risk assessment for treatment planning.

Perception of fault in patients with chronic pain.

The beliefs and expectancies of chronic pain patients have been shown to be critical cognitive facilitators or impediments to the recovery process. In the present study patients presenting to an outpatient pain center were classified according to their response to the questionnaire item "Who do you think is at fault for your pain?". Patients were then grouped according to the responses 'employer', 'other', or 'no one'.

A psychosocial and behavioral comparison of reflex sympathetic dystrophy, low back pain, and headache patients.

Based primarily on anecdotal evidence, patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) have often been suspected of having a high degree of psychosocial disturbance prior to the onset of symptoms as well as in reaction to the disorder. In the present study, patients presenting to a pain center with RSD were compared to patients with low back (LBP) and headache pain (HAP) on a variety of self-reported demographic, behavioral, pain, and mood measures. Typical of most patients experiencing chronic pain, all three groups demonstrated elevations indicative of pain, emotional distress, and behavioral disturbance.

Pain complaint and the weather: weather sensitivity and symptom complaints in chronic pain patients.

Chronic pain patients frequently report that weather conditions affect their pain; however, no standardized measures of weather sensitivity have been developed. We describe the development and use of the Weather and Pain Questionnaire (WPQ) which assess patient sensitivity to meteorologic variables defined by the National Weather Service (e.g.

A comparison of low back pain patients in the United States and New Zealand: psychosocial and economic factors affecting severity of disability.

One hundred and ninety-eight patients suffering from chronic low back pain seen at the University of Virginia (U.S.) Pain Center and 117 similar patients seen at the Auckland Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand (N.

Global appropriateness of pain drawings: blind ratings predict patterns of psychological distress and litigation status.

Previous studies examining pain drawings of low back pain patients have shown conflicting results in predicting elevations of MMPI scores. A study of 82 patients whose drawings were rated only for overall, anatomical appropriateness was conducted using the SCL-90 rather than the MMPI as the psychological assessment instrument. Significant differences were found between appropriate and inappropriate drawings; however, these differences seem to reflect differences in cognitive style of coping with pain as opposed to psychopathology.

A chronic emergency room visitor with chest pain: successful treatment by stress management training and biofeedback.

The successful treatment of a patient with chest pain who at baseline visited the emergency room (ER) up to 20 times monthly is described. Treatment consisted of re-education, stress management training and biofeedback. The importance of conceptualizing multiple ER visitations as an interaction of physiological, psychological, social and iatrogenic factors is discussed, and suggestions are made for recognizing such behavior and effectively referring patients for appropriate treatment.

Patterns of postoperative analgesic use with adults and children following cardiac surgery.

The postoperative prescription and administration of analgesics following cardiac surgery for 50 children were compared with those of 50 adults. Six children were the only patients in the sample who were prescribed no postoperative analgesics. Overall, children were prescribed significantly fewer potent narcotics.