Pain severity, satisfaction with interpersonal aspects of pain management and catastrophizing cognitions: A study of variables associated with compensation difficulty and doctor shopping

Data concerning a variety of psychological and socioeconomic issues were collected from 132 patients receiving pain management from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Pearson correlation, multivariate analysis of variance and logistic regression were used to determine the relationships between variables of interest. Data supported the relationship between catastrophizing and pain severity. Additionally, data supported the difference between two groups of patients who had applied for compensation; this difference was based on catastrophizing and pain severity. Data did not support the hypothesis regarding doctor shopping. Information that may aid in the identification of patients with the most severe and disabling pain who are at risk of overutilizing valuable health care resources is described as well as implications for health care professionals working in pain management.