Internal Image of Disorder in Patients with Chronic Back Pain

The purpose of the work was to study the psychological mechanisms of the formation of an intrapsychic response to chronic back pain. The hypothesis was the assumption that the internal image of the disorder in patients with chronic back pain differs depending on the subjective perception of pain. Operationalization of the internal image of disorder was carried out in accordance with a four-level concept (sensitive, motivational, emotional, and intellectual levels). Psychodiagnostic tools were used: "McGill's Pain Questionnaire (Kastiro I.V., 2012), "Restoration of the locus of control" questionnaire (Belova N.A., 2002), expert assessment of compliance on a five-point scale, "Psychological factors of attitude to illness and treatment" questionnaire (Rasskazova E.I., 2016). In total, 84 patients aged 54.5±14.4 years were examined, including 52 (61.9%) women and 32 (38.1%) men who were at the inpatient stage of medical rehabilitation for dorsopathies with moderate chronic pain syndrome. The pain has lasted for 12.9±13.4 years. As a result of the study, it was found that the groups of patients with mixed and nociceptive pain differ from each other in the structure of the internal image of the disorder: patients with mixed pain have no relationship between the motivational and emotional levels with the sensitive – the level of primary processing of sensory information.