Use of a structural equation model for prediction of pain symptoms in patients with orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders.

Aims: To develop and test a biopsychosocial model using structural equation modeling for predicting orofacial pain symptoms in a sample of patients with masticatory muscle pain (MMP).

Methods: Data were collected from clinic records of 251 adult patients who presented for initial evaluation to the Orofacial Pain Center at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and were subsequently diagnosed with MMP. Data were used to fit a model relating stressors, psychological distress, arousal, sleep problems, oral parafunction, and pain symptoms.

Ecological momentary assessment of fatigue following breast cancer treatment.

Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom often experienced during and following cancer treatment. An Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) approach was used to examine the diurnal pattern of off-treatment fatigue in breast cancer survivors. Twenty-five breast cancer (BC) survivors 6-26 months posttreatment and age-matched groups of healthy women (HC; n = 25) and women with benign breast problems (BBP; n = 24) completed four daily diary measures of fatigue, pain, and mood for 5 consecutive days.

Psychological and physiological parameters of masticatory muscle pain.

The objective of this research was to identify the psychological and physiological variables that differentiate persons reporting masticatory muscle pain (MMP) from normal controls (NC). This study examined the characteristics of 35 MMP patients in comparison to 35 age-, sex-, and weight-matched NCs. All subjects completed a series of standardized questionnaires prior to undergoing a laboratory evaluation consisting of a psychosocial stressor and pressure pain stimulation at multiple body sites.