Background: Patients with chronic pain are at-risk for psychological distress during a pandemic. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between Type D personality traits, fear of disease and virus, anxiety and depression in patients with chronic pain during the pandemic period.
Methods: The study included 115 patients with chronic pain who presented to the physical therapy outpatient clinic of our hospital. Data were collected from the patients using five instruments: Sociodemographic Data Form, visual analog scale, Type D Personality Scale, Fear of Illness and Virus Evaluation Scale (FIVE), Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Participants were divided into two groups based on their Type D personality, and data from the scales were compared.
Results: Type D personality traits were identified in 36 of the patients with chronic pain included in the study. While no differences were observed between the groups in terms of demographics, those with Type D personality had higher FIVE total scores, illness and contamination fear scores, and anxiety and depression scores than those without Type D personality (p=0.013, p=0.027, p=0.032, p=0.009, and p=0.032, respectively).
Conclusion: In patients with chronic pain, Type D personality traits are linked to COVID-19-related illness and virus fear, as well as increased anxiety and depression.
Key words: SARS-CoV-2, chronic pain, Type D personality, anxiety, depression
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