Abstract
The AIM of our study is to analyze Suffering as specific construct, to operationalize it and to show the most simple way of its clinical testing. We suppose a continuum of states from Pain to Suffering, expressing a function of sensory-perceptual, cognitive, affective and behavioral components of the mechanism of chronic pain.
VAS (Intensity of pain) and VAS-S (intensity on Suffering measure the boundary variables of this continuum. HYPOTHESIS: VAS-S correlates with factors Pain feeling, Cognitive processing and Affective-Motivation Processes.
VAS correlates with Nociceptive Processes (experimentally induced pain), Pain Feeling and Affective-Motivation Processes. (These factors were isolated by exploratory and confirmatory analysis, Knotek, Blahus, Knotkova, 1997.) METHODS: 67 rheumatic patients were tested by Paintester (heat stimulator), VAS, VAS-U (Unpleasantness of pain), VAS-S, MPQ-SF, PBAPI, STAI, STAXI, BDI-SF, and ACTIVITY 5. RESULTS: The hypotheses were confirmed, with the exception of correlation of VAS with Nociceptive Processes (R-2 = .159, p < .0702).
The regression analysis has shown that VAS-S significantly correlates with Pain Feeling, Cognitive Processing and Affective-Motivation Processes, and does not depend on Nociceptive Processes. VAS-S explains more common information with Nociceptive Processes, Pain Feeling, Cognitive Processing, Affective-Motivation Processes and Responses and Behavior than VAS.
Biserial r between VAS-S and VAS is .360. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the supposition that VAS-S expresses general cognitive and affective assessment of different negative influences and events, from pain to existential problems.
The clinical using of VAS-S shows to be easy, useful and practical.