The Assessment of Pain Behavior in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients

Observations of pain behavior have distinct
advantages over self-report measures of pain. This
is especially critical in a chronic lower back pain
population where self-report of pain is unusually
high. The goal of the current study was to
investigate whether a streamlined behavior
observation adapted from Keefe and Block s (1982) 10-
minute observation is effective in identifying
somatic amplification in a sample of Chronic Low
Back Pain (CLBP) sufferers. We examined the
relationship between a 4-minute behavior observation
and the Somatic Amplification Rating Scale (SARS), a
physiological exam measuring incongruent physical
symptoms. Somatic amplification describes the
tendency to report physical symptoms that are out of
proportion to medical findings. Ninety-seven
participants were recruited to take part in a study
that examined levels of somatic amplification,
affective distress, and frequency of pain behaviors.