Neuroticism and Extraversion in Patients Suffering from Hand Pain

Morbid conditions of the hand usually provoke intense pain. The relationship between the experience of pain and personality characteristics have been studied extensively. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between personality characteristics, e.g. neuroticism and extraversion, and pain intensity in patients with hand conditions, and to examine possible differences between patients and healthy individuals. Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the Neuroticism (EPQ-N) and Extraversion (EPQ-E) subscales of Eysenck Personality QuestionnaireRevised (short form) were administered to 104 patients of an outpatient orthopaedic clinic. Moreover, 65 healthy individuals were used as a control group. Bivariate correlational analyses was used to examine the relationship between neuroticism, extraversion and pain intensity. Neither neuroticism nor extraversion correlated with pain intensity. -----------------------------------------------------------------------* Corresponding author.