The role of personality, recent life stress and arthritic severity in predicting pain.

This study investigated the role of personality, life stress and osteoarthritic severity in accounting for pain in aged individuals. Previous empirical research on older adults with chronic pain is nonexistent. The study included 40 subjects with an average age of 70 yr. Results indicated that personality, specifically hypochrondriasis of the individual, was the most powerful predictor of pain as compared with arthritic severity and life stress. Subjective pain was lower among older patients than among younger patients despite greater arthritic severity. The amount of hypochondriasis and life stress was also less for older patients. Implications for interventions in terms of modifying perception of pain in older adults is discussed.