Thoughts provoked by pain.

Despite the growing interest in the cognitive component of chronic pain, little information has been collected on the variety of thoughts provoked by pain experience. A new assessment instrument (the Cognitive Evaluative Questionnaire--CEQ) has been utilized with 127 chronic pain patients and their cognitions classified into seven discrete clusters. The results confirm the heterogeneity of pain cognitions, the majority of which are likely to play a role in enhancing or perpetuating chronic pain. The relationship of these cognitions to chronic avoidance behavior is discussed.