TY - JOUR
T1 - The influence of personality-related factors upon consultation for two different "marginal" organic pathologies with and without reports of auditory symptomatology
AU - Saunders, Gabrielle H.
AU - Haggard, Mark P.
PY - 1993/8
Y1 - 1993/8
N2 - Obscure Auditory Dysfunction (OAD) is explained by a combination of hearing-related deficits and personality factors Saunders 6 Haggard (1992). In this study, we determine which factors are associated specifically with OAD and which are associated with the seeking of medical attention in general. We achieved this by obtaining a second patient group with a parallel syndrome to OAD, called “chronic pelvic pain without obvious organic pathology” (CPPWOOP). CPPWOOP patients complain of lower abdominal pain that is not explainable by conventional medical tests. Fifteen CPPWOOPs underwent the OAD test battery. For the analyses they were retrospectively matched to 15 of the original OADs and their matched controls. The three groups were compared by analysis of variance and Kruskal Wallis analyses. The CPPWOOPs and controls performed significantly better than OADs on hearing-related variables, but did not differ from each other, whereas the OADs and CPPWOOPs were significantly more anxious than the controls, but did not differ from each other. We conclude that anxiety-related traits are associated with the seeking of medical attention in general, whereas the hearing-related deficits we measured are associated specifically with OAD. Anxiety-related traits should, therefore, be considered when dealing with marginal pathologies, but in depth investigation may also reveal an organic basis; therefore, patients should not be dismissed as simply neurotic.
AB - Obscure Auditory Dysfunction (OAD) is explained by a combination of hearing-related deficits and personality factors Saunders 6 Haggard (1992). In this study, we determine which factors are associated specifically with OAD and which are associated with the seeking of medical attention in general. We achieved this by obtaining a second patient group with a parallel syndrome to OAD, called “chronic pelvic pain without obvious organic pathology” (CPPWOOP). CPPWOOP patients complain of lower abdominal pain that is not explainable by conventional medical tests. Fifteen CPPWOOPs underwent the OAD test battery. For the analyses they were retrospectively matched to 15 of the original OADs and their matched controls. The three groups were compared by analysis of variance and Kruskal Wallis analyses. The CPPWOOPs and controls performed significantly better than OADs on hearing-related variables, but did not differ from each other, whereas the OADs and CPPWOOPs were significantly more anxious than the controls, but did not differ from each other. We conclude that anxiety-related traits are associated with the seeking of medical attention in general, whereas the hearing-related deficits we measured are associated specifically with OAD. Anxiety-related traits should, therefore, be considered when dealing with marginal pathologies, but in depth investigation may also reveal an organic basis; therefore, patients should not be dismissed as simply neurotic.
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U2 - 10.1097/00003446-199308000-00003
DO - 10.1097/00003446-199308000-00003
M3 - Article
C2 - 8405728
AN - SCOPUS:0027295635
SN - 0196-0202
VL - 14
SP - 242
EP - 248
JO - Ear and hearing
JF - Ear and hearing
IS - 4
ER -