Sexual Life Traits of Chronic Pain Disorder Patients and Relationship Between Temperament and Character Dimensions of Personality

Abstract

Objective: It is known that a complex problem is a sexual life in patients with chronic pain. Also, physicians may ignore thispoint. In this study, we aimed to compare the clinical features, sexual life properties and personality traits of patients withChronic Pain Disorder (CPD) and healthy controls. We hypothesized that Harm Avoidance (HA) scores would be higher andpredictive of compared to healthy controls also sexual dysfunction would found in the patient group.Methods: This study was conducted in outpatients with CPD who presented to the Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital’sOutpatient Psychiatry Clinic. The sample was comprised of 60 outpatients (53 women, 7 men) who complained of chronicpain for at least 3 months and were not under any medication. The control group comprised of 60 healthy controls (49women, 11 men). Semi-structured sociodemographic data form, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Temperament and CharacterInventory (TCI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale(ASEX) were administered to the participants. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for Windows, Version 23.0.Results: In CPD patients ASEX scores were significantly higher than healthy controls. It demonstrates sexual dysfunctionpresenting in CPD group. In terms of gender; female ASEX scores were significantly higher than male ones. VAS scores did notcorrelate to ASEX scores in all of the participants. Exploratory excitability subscale of Novelty Seeking, Total Cooperativenessand Total Reward Dependence scores were changed negatively correlation with ASEX scores; Harm Avoidance, Persistence,Self-Directedness, Self-Transcendence, and their subscales did not correlate to ASEX scores. ASEX scores, positively correlatedto Attachment and Sentimentality subscales of Reward Dependence. BDI scores changed positively with BAI, ASEX, VASscores; BAI scores also correlated positively with VAS and ASEX scores. Helpfulness vs Unhelpfulness and Compassion vsRevengefulness subscales of cooperativeness in patients with CPD positively correlated to ASEX scores.Conclusions: Temperament and character traits and sexual life properties of the CPD patients were significantly different fromthe healthy control subjects. Exploratory excitability subscale of NS and C is the negative predictor of sexual dysfunction. Also,Helpfulness vs Unhelpfulness and Compassion vs Revengefulness subscale of C is the positive predictor of sexual dysfunction.