Are personalities influenced by chronic pain?
Personality trait pathology, especially in the domains of anxiety, self-efficacy, and somatization, has been demonstrated to improve with treatment of chronic pain. As the patient’s symptoms improve, the vulnerability of their trait composition is less likely to be provoked. Conversely, the emergence of chronic pain can lead to the development of maladaptive reactions that are manifestations of personality trait vulnerabilities under stress in patients that did not previously exhibit them.