Disease Phobia in Patients with Temporomandibular Joint Pain Assessed by the Illness Attitude Scale

Abstract

Disease phobia refers to a psychological state when the person continuously thinks that he/she is sick and improvement from the condition is impossible. Disease phobia in patients suffering from pain, secondary to temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), is usually the consequence of long-term problems; diagnosis and treatment of this group is a real challenge for healthcare professionals. Aim: The purpose of this prospective study was to objectively evaluate the role of Illness Attitude Scale (Kellner or IAS) in measuring cancerophobia and heart disease phobia in patients suffering from pain, as a consequence of TMDs. Subjects and Methods: The cohort included 22 patients with TMDs who underwent evaluation of these phobias; pain was acute in 7 and chronic in 15. The patients were asked to complete the “Kellner” questionnaire, and this was followed by full clinical examination of the temporomandibular region. Results: When measuring the correlation between the cancerophobia and heart disease phobia patients, the outcome was found significant in the total cohort, p<0.01. Comparisons were carried out in the chronic group (n=15) and was significant (p=0.034 and r=0.549); while in the acute group no significance was identified. Conclusion: Cancerophobia and heart disease phobia in TMD patients are factors that need to be taken in consideration when managing chronic pain in this group.

Keywords

• TMJ pain
• Phobia
• Attitudes