Abstract
M.A. (Clinical Psychology)
The increasing interest in cognitive factors both in the literature on pain and
in developments in research on depression has led to the present study, where
cognitive factors associated with depression were investigated in clinical
groups of chroni c pa in patients.
The cognitive factors studied were learned helplessness (Seligman, 1975),
cognitive errors and distortions (Beck, 1976), perfectionism (Bums, 19800
1980b), as well as hopelessness (Beck, 1974). It was hypothesised that
these factors would occur in definite patterns in relation to each other, in
groups of pain patients categorised into four groups on the basis of raised or
lowered levels of both depression and a subjective pain rating. It was
hypothesised that learned helplessness would vary in direct relationship to
depression but that simultaneously increased levels of pain would elevate
helplessness further. It was also hypothesised that perfectionism and cognitive
errors and distortions would vary inversely with helplessness and that amongst
pain patients with high levels of pain and low levels of depression, raised
scores on measures of perfectionism and cognitive errors may indicate the
presence of a 'masked' depression.
Some evidence was found to suggest that cognitive factors do play an important
role in pain, although no significant results were found to support the specific
hypotheses of this study. The need for finer discrimination in the type' of
pain patient selected, particularly in regard to ·the diagnosis of the pain
syndrome, as well as the inclusion of cognitive factors other than those
presently considered, is indicated for future research.