Summary
Factorial analyses of subjectively felt health complaints in a population of 400 males and 74 females revealed nine orthogonal (independent) factors. One factor (Factor 4) involved pain in the neck, pain in the back, pain in arms and shoulders, and migraine. This type of complaint did not relate to anxiety and depression. The prevalence of muscle pains varied between the sexes, and the types of occupations. Shiftwork was also important. 54% of the women and 40% of the men in the total population had some forms of muscle pain, but only 8% of the women and 3% of the men felt this to be a really serious problem. Psychological factors explained only moderate amounts of variance of muscle pain when the population was taken as a whole. However, within each type of occupation, psychological factors explained a considerable amount of the variance.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Ahles TA, Yunus MB, Riley SD, Bradley JM, Masi AT (1984) Psychological factors associated with primary fibromyalgia syndrome. Arthrit Rheum 27:1101–1106
Anisman H, Zacharko M (1982) Depression: The predisposing influence of stress. Behav Brain Sci 5:89–137
Balshan ID (1962) Muscle tension and personality in women. Arch Gen Psych 7:436–448
Bolles RC (1972) Reinforcement, expectancy and learning. Psychol Rev 79:394–409
Clark S, Campbell SM, Forehand ME, Tindall EA, Bennett RM (1985) Clinical characteristics of fibrositis II. A “blinded” controlled study using standard psychological tests. Arthrit Rheum 28:132–137
Cooper CL (1981) The stress check. Prentice Hall, New York
Coover G, Ursin H, Murison R (1983) Sustained activation and psychiatric illness. In: Ursin H, Murison R (eds) Biological and psychological basis of psychosomatic disease. Pergamon Press, Oxford
Eason RG, White CT (1961) Muscular tension, effort, and tracking difficulty: Studies of parameters which affect tension level and performance efficiency. Perc Mot Skills 12:331–372
Evarts EV, Shinoda Y, Wise SP (1984) Neurophysiological approaches to higher brain functions. Wiley & Sons, New York
Gardell B (1977) Psychological and social problems of industrial work in affluent societies. Int J Psychol 12:125–134
Henry JP, Meehan JP (1981) Psychosocial stimuli, physiological specificity and cardiovascular disease. In: Weiner H, Hofer MA, Stunkard AJ (eds) Brain, Behav Bodily Dis. Raven Press, New York
Hockey GRJ (1986) A state control theory of adaptation to stress and individual differences in stress management. In: Hockey GRJ, Gaillard AWK, Coles MGH (eds) Energetics and human information processing. M Nijhoff, Dordrecht
Jacobson E (1938) Progressive relaxation. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Karasek RA jr (1979) Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Adm Sci Quart 24:285–308
Kilbom Å, Gamberale F, Persson J, Annwall G (1983) Physiological and psychological indices of fatigue during static contractions. Eur J Appl Physiol 50:179–193
Knardahl S, Ursin H (1985) Sustained activation and the pathophysiology of hypertension and coronary heart disease. In: Orlebeke JF, Mulder G, van Doornen LJP (eds) Psychophysiology of cardiovascular control. Plenum Press, New York
Kuorinka I (1983) Subjective discomfort in a simulated repetitive task. Ergonomics 26:1089–1101
Lee P, Helewa A, Smythe HA, Bombardier C, Goldsmith CH (1985) Epidemiology of musculoskeletal disorders (complaints) and related disability in Canada. J Rheumatol 12:1169–1173
Malmo RB (1957) Anxiety and behavioral arousal. Psychol Rev 64:276–287
Malmo RB, Davis JF (1956) Physiological gradients as indicants of “arousal” in mirror tracing. Can J Physiol 10:231–238
Moruzzi G, Magoun HW (1949) Brain stem reticular formation and activation of the EEG. Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol 1:455–473
Murison R, Isaksen E (1983) Biological and psychological basis of gastric ulceration. In: Ursin H, Murison R (eds) Biological and psychological basis of psychosomatic disease. Pergamon Press, Oxford
Norusis MJ (1985) SPSS-X. Advanced statistics guide. McGraw-Hill, New York
Plutchik R, Kellerman H, Conte HR (1979) A structural theory of ego defenses and emotions. Izard C (ed) In: Emotions in personality and psychopathology. Plenum Press, New York, pp 229–257
Pribram KH, McGuinness D (1975) Arousal, activation, and effort in the control of attention. Psychol Rev 2:116–149
Rechtschaffen A, Kales A (1968) A manual of standardized terminology, techniques and scoring system for sleep stages of human subjects. Public Health Service, US Governmental Printing Office, Washington DC
Spielberger CD, Gorsuch RL, Lushene RE (1970) STAI manual for the State-trait anxiety inventory “Self-Evaluation Questionnaire”. Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc, Palo Alto
SPSS-x user's guide (1983) USA
Svebak S (1984) Active and passive forearm flexor tension patterns in the continuous perceptual-motor task paradigm: The significance of emotion. Int J Psychophysiol 2:167–176
Tucker DM, Williamson PA (1984) Asymmetric neural control systems in human self-regulation. Psychol Rev 91:185–215
Ursin H (1978) Activation, coping and psychosomatics. In: Ursin H, Baade E, Levine S (eds) Psychobiology of stress. A study of coping men. Academic Press, New York, pp 201–228
Ursin H (1980) Personality, activation and somatic health. A new psychosomatic theory. In: Levine S, Ursin H (eds) Coping and health. Plenum Press, Oxford, pp 259–279
Ursin H (1982) The search for stress markers. Scand J Psychol [Suppl] 1:165–169
Ursin H (1986) Energetics and the self regulation of activation. In: Hockey GRJ, Gaillard AWK, Coles MGH (eds) Energetics and human information processing. M Nijhoff, Dordrecht
Ursin H, Mykletun R, Tønder O, Værnes R, Relling G, Isaksen E, Murison R (1984) Psychological stress-factors and concentrations of immunoglobulins and complement components in humans. Scand J Psychol 25:340–347
Westgaard RH, Bjørklund R (1988) Generation of muscle tension additional to postural muscle load. Ergonomics (in press)
Wolfe F, Cathey MA, Kleinheksel SM, Amos SP, Hoffman RG, Young DY, Hawley DJ (1984) Psychological status in primary fibrositis and fibrositis associated with rheumatical arthritis. J Rheumatol 11:500–506. Manenica I (eds) The ergonomics of working postures. Models, methods and cases. Taylor & Francis, London, pp 3–18
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ursin, H., Endresen, I.M. & Ursin, G. Psychological factors and self-reports of muscle pain. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 57, 282–290 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00635986
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00635986