Illness Behavior, Depression and Anhedonia in Myofascial Face and Back Pain Patients

Abstract

Levels of depression, anhedonia, and illness behavior, as well as clinical and demographic variables, were measured in two groups of patients with chronic pain, one with facial, the other with back pain. For the total sample, significant correlations (p less than 0.01) were found between illness behavior and pain estimate (r = 0.30), anhedonia and depression (r = 0.33), and pain estimate and pain duration (r = 0.31). Facial pain patients showed illness behavior most strongly related to estimate of pain severity (r = 0.62); back pain patients showed illness behavior significantly related to depression (r = 0.59). Results also show that the physical site of pain relates to illness behavior but not mood of chronic pain patients.