Relationship Between the MMPI-2 and Psychosocial Measures in a Heterogeneous Pain Population

Objective: A prior study demonstrated the utility of an MMPI-2 profile pattern, formerly known as the "Floating Profile," for identifying treatment complications in the context of pain management. Retermed the "Disability Profile" (DP), this profile comprised a large proportion of the chronic musculoskeletal pain sample studied, and it was associated with several negative treatment outcomes. Method: This current study was designed to further evaluate the DP, but within a more heterogeneous pain population, while also comparing 3 other MMPI-2 profile patterns and 5 specific pain categories on behavioral and psychosocial measures administered at an initial intake evaluation. A total of 755 participants were evaluated. Results: Results clearly demonstrated the utility of the DP, with its association with significant impairment and disability in the pain population at the intake evaluation. Conclusions: A heterogeneous pain population is likely to include a number of individuals who demonstrate a pattern of behavior consistent with the initial findings of the DP characteristics. Those participants demonstrating a DP appear to have more complications during treatment and will likely require more thorough interventions at multiple points during treatment.