Alexithymia, somatosensory amplification and counter-dependency in patients with chronic pain

There is a vast body of research concerning the psychological characteristics of patients having chronic benign pain. Recently, the constructs of alexithymia, somatosensory amplification and counter-dependency have been studied in chronic pain patients. These studies have provided discrepant findings. In the present study, the authors investigate whether chronic pain patients differ from healthy controls in terms of these relatively new constructs. We aimed to see whether any of these constructs may be a 'psychological marker' to differentiate chronic pain group from healthy people. In the study, 30 chronic pain patients were compared to 30 healthy controls. All the patients had suffered from daily back, extremity or head aches for at least the previous six months. Patients were assessed with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Somatosensory Amplification Scale and the Counter-dependency Scale as well as with a detailed sociodemographic questionnaire. Chronic pain patients were found to amplify their somatic sensations more than healthy controls, and they also had more difficulty in identifying their feelings and distinguishing them from bodily sensations of emotion. Chronic pain patients with a history of psychiatric disorders also amplified their somatic sensations and at the same time had more difficulty in identifying their feelings than patients with no history of psychiatric disorders. Measures of counter-dependency were not able to distinguish between chronic pain patients and healthy controls. In conclusion, chronic pain patients have difficulty in identifying feelings which in turn makes them prone to somatic expressions of psychic distress. Those individuals who introspect and who have a tendency to select and focus on relatively weak or infrequent sensations (the main elements of somatosensory amplification) might be more prone to chronic pain.