Lifespan of male attorneys: preliminary findings.

Background: Our objective was to test the hypotheses that trial attorneys have shorter lifespans than other attorneys, and that attorneys in general have a shortened lifespan compared with the general population.

Methods: Using obituaries from the Annual Report of the Virginia State Bar, we compared the lifespans of male trial attorneys with those of male non-trial attorneys. We also compared these findings with the lifespans of males in the general population.

Assessing the stages of pain processing: a multivariate analytical approach.

A four-stage model of pain processing was proposed, consisting of pain sensation intensity, pain unpleasantness (stage 1 affect), suffering (stage 2 affect), and pain behavior. We studied 506 chronic pain patients (230 male and 276 female) using a multivariate statistical technique (LISREL) in order to demonstrate the structural relationship among multiple indicators of pain processing; and to characterize these stages in terms of their interactions. A strong relationship was revealed between the majority of the underlying indicators of each pain processing stage.

A canonical correlation analysis of the influence of neuroticism and extraversion on chronic pain, suffering, and pain behavior.

The relationship between neuroticism and extraversion on the 4 major stages of pain processing, that of pain sensation intensity, pain unpleasantness, suffering, and pain behavior, were studied in 205 chronic pain patients (88 male and 117 female). Patients underwent psychological evaluation which included the Pain Experience visual analogue scales (VAS) (Price et al. 1983), NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) (Costa and McCrae 1985), and the Psychosocial Pain Inventory (PPI) (Getto and Heaton 1980).

Patterns of normal personality structure among chronic pain patients.

Fifty-nine chronic pain patients satisfying one of four previously identified pain group classifications were evaluated using the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI), a standardized measure of normal adult personality structure. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) pain subgroups differed with respect to level of NEO-PI Neuroticism. In particular, emotionally overwhelmed pain patients as defined by multiple MMPI scale elevations had higher NEO-PI Neuroticism scores.