Skip to content Skip to navigation
University of Warwick
  • Study
  • |
  • Research
  • |
  • Business
  • |
  • Alumni
  • |
  • News
  • |
  • About

University of Warwick
Publications service & WRAP

Highlight your research

  • WRAP
    • Home
    • Search WRAP
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse WRAP by Year
    • Browse WRAP by Subject
    • Browse WRAP by Department
    • Browse WRAP by Funder
    • Browse Theses by Department
  • Publications Service
    • Home
    • Search Publications Service
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse Publications service by Year
    • Browse Publications service by Subject
    • Browse Publications service by Department
    • Browse Publications service by Funder
  • Help & Advice
University of Warwick

The Library

  • Login
  • Admin

Chronic pain syndrome associated with health anxiety : a qualitative thematic comparison between pain patients with high and low health anxiety

Tools
- Tools
+ Tools

Tang, Nicole K. Y., Salkovskis, Paul M., Hodges, Amy, Soong, Elaina, Hanna, Magdi H. and Hester, Joan (2009) Chronic pain syndrome associated with health anxiety : a qualitative thematic comparison between pain patients with high and low health anxiety. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, Volume 48 (Number 1). pp. 1-20. doi:10.1348/014466508X336167

Research output not available from this repository, contact author.
Official URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1348/0144665...

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

Objectives:
Based on the high prevalence of health anxiety among patients with chronic pain and the conceptual overlap between the diagnostic criteria for hypochondriasis and pain disorder, it has been suggested that the cognitive-behavioural theory of severe and persistent health anxiety can be applied to understand the problems presented by a subgroup of chronic pain patients. This study aimed to provide qualitative data to complement the progress of the existing experimental research and theory development.
Design:
A cross-sectional design with two groups was adopted.
Method:
In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 chronic pain patients seeking medical treatment from a specialist clinic, and theoretical thematic analysis was performed on a subset of interview transcripts drawn from the five most health anxious and the five least health anxious of this sample.
Results:
Five themes emerged from the analysis, and they concerned (1) pain appraisal, (2) pain preoccupation, (3) coping strategies, (4) self-identity, and (5) suicidal ideation. Differences were observed between the health anxious and non-health anxious pain patients consistently across all these themes.
Conclusions:
The phenomenological information both informs and supports the idea that the cognitive-behavioural model of health anxiety can be adapted for the understanding of and development of treatments for pain patients with health anxiety. The findings also challenge the common practice of 'lumping' pain patients into a single group and underline the importance of matching treatments to the patients' psychological characteristics.

Item Type: Journal Article
Divisions: Faculty of Science > Psychology
Journal or Publication Title: British Journal of Clinical Psychology
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ISSN: 0144-6657
Official Date: March 2009
Dates:
DateEvent
March 2009Published
Volume: Volume 48
Number: Number 1
Page Range: pp. 1-20
DOI: 10.1348/014466508X336167
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item View Item
twitter

Email us: wrap@warwick.ac.uk
Contact Details
About Us