The language of pain: Intensity
- 1 September 1976
- journal article
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Pain
- Vol. 2 (3) , 319-324
- https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3959(76)90010-5
Abstract
Thirty-nine adjectives which may be used to describe a pain experience were rated on an "intensity" continuum by 93 subjects, and in a second study by an additional 90 subjects. In each study these ratings were intercorrelated and factor-analyzed. The first 6 factors extracted were rotated to a simple structure criterion. The first factor was identified as an "intensity" factor. Examination of the adjectives indicated that intensity relates to "affective-evaluative" adjectives rather than "sensory" ones. The implications of these findings for the language a patient may use to communicate the intensity of a pain are discussed.Keywords
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