Statement of the Problem


 Although scientists agree that personality influences pain,

investigations of this influence generally focus on mood, neuroticism,

and anxiety (Lim, Edes, Kranz, Mendelsohn, Selwood, & Scott, 1983;

Merskey, 1978). The literature contains no studies on the relationship

between personality type, coping style, and acute pain.

 Health care personnel, although aware of individual differences

among patients, generally are not taught to take these differences into

consideration when planning care. Clinicians and investigators who

design programs for postoperative pain management generally do not

consider personality, type, or coping style as a significant factor when

individualizing a program.


 Significance of the Study


 Because a "number of postoperative dysfunctions are related directly

or indirectly to postoperative pain" (Benedetti, Bonica, & Bellucci,

1984, p. 381), effective treatment of pain is an important issue in the

recovery of the patient and the prevention of these dysfunctions. The

treatment of postoperative pain includes appropriate analgesia and

psychological intervention. "The incidence, severity, and duration of

pain and suffering during the postoperative period can be decreased by

proper preoperative and postoperative psychologic care" (p. 388).

 In recent years researchers have given much attention to pain

response. However, certain questions have not been answered. One

question relates to the role of personality type and coping style in

pain response (Table 1-2). Research indicates that certain types of