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Personality Traits and Sick Leave in Workers Diagnosed with Nonorganic Neck Pain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Bartolomé Llor Esteban ,
Mª Montserrat Sánchez Ortuño ,
Mariano García Izquierdo ,
José Antonio Ruiz Hernández  and
Aurelio Luna Maldonado
Bartolomé Llor Esteban*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Murcia (Spain)
Mª Montserrat Sánchez Ortuño
Affiliation:
Universidad de Murcia (Spain)
Mariano García Izquierdo
Affiliation:
Universidad de Murcia (Spain)
José Antonio Ruiz Hernández
Affiliation:
Universidad de Murcia (Spain)
Aurelio Luna Maldonado
Affiliation:
Universidad de Murcia (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Bartolomé Llor Esteban. Departamento de Enfermería, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia (Spain). Phone: +34-868887279. E-mail: bllor@um.es
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Abstract

Previous research has suggested that personality can influence the perception and reporting of physical symptoms, such as pain. To assess the relationship between the course of nonorganic neck pain and the individual's personality, we studied the association between two indicators of neck pain prognosis, such as the duration of sick leave associated with neck pain and sick leave recurrence, and 15 personality traits in a sample of 64 workers suffering from disabling neck pain without any signs of physical abnormalities in the neck area. The TEA Personality Test (TPT), a self-report instrument designed to evaluate personality traits related to organizational behaviors, was used. Compared to the normative data, the study sample obtained high scores in the Depression, Anxiety and Emotional Instability scales, thus suggesting a personality profile primarily characterized by high neuroticism-related scores. Controlling for age, gender, and any rehabilitation undergone, we found a positive relationship between Depression and the duration of sick leave (in weeks). Moreover, lower scores on the TPT personality trait Dynamism and activeness were associated with higher likelihood of sick leave recurrence. These findings highlight the need for further research into the role played by personality at the onset and in the maintenance of nonorganic neck pain. Furthermore, they suggest that a complementary psychological approach may be useful to nonorganic neck pain management.

Diversos estudios de investigación sugieren que la personalidad se relaciona con la percepción y quejas de síntomas físicos, tales como el dolor. Con el objetivo de explorar la relación entre la evolución del dolor cervical sin alteración orgánica y la personalidad del individuo, analizamos la asociación entre dos indicadores del pronóstico de dolor cervical, tales como la duración y la recurrencia de la baja laboral, y 15 rasgos de personalidad en una muestra de 64 trabajadores en situación de baja laboral con diagnóstico de dolor cervical sin alteración orgánica. Para la evaluación de los rasgos de personalidad utilizamos el cuestionario de personalidad de TEA, TPT. Este instrumento evalúa específicamente rasgos de personalidad que son relevantes en el contexto laboral. En comparación con los datos normativos referentes a población española proporcionados en el manual del cuestionario, nuestra muestra de estudio obtuvo puntuaciones significativamente más elevadas en Depresión, Ansiedad y Labilidad emocional. Estos datos sugieren un perfil de personalidad en estos trabajadores con tendencia al neuroticismo. Controlando el efecto de la edad, el género y el hecho de haber realizado rehabilitación para el problema de dolor, encontramos una relación positiva entre las puntuaciones en la escala Depresión y la duración de la baja. De otro lado, puntuaciones más bajas en la escala Dinamismo y actividad se relacionó con una mayor probabilidad de recurrencia de la baja laboral. Estos resultados preliminares enfatizan la necesidad de explorar de manera más detallada el rol que juega la personalidad del individuo en la aparición y el mantenimiento del dolor cervical sin alteración orgánica. Así mismo, nuestros datos sugieren que un abordaje psicosocial, complementario al tratamiento médico que reciben estos pacientes, podría resultar útil para el manejo del dolor cervical.

Keywords

neck painpersonalitysick leaveoccupational medicinedolor cervicalbaja laboralpersonalidadmedicina laboral
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , November 2012 , pp. 1272 - 1282
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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