Correlation between personality traits and reported pain perception

BACKGROUND: The pain experience is the main reason for individuals who refer to medical centers. There is a difference among individuals in terms of their pain perception and pain report. Psychological factors are the key reasons leading to differences between people in terms of pain perception reported by them. Personality differences is one of the significant psychological factors. This study assessed the correlation between personality traits and reported pain perception. METHODS: This was an experimental study aimed at examining the correlation between personality traits and perceived pain. 100 participants were tested in Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, in 2019, using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) and cold pressor test (CPT) to address the correlation between these factors. RESULTS: Data analysis indicated a significant association between five traits including narcissistic (r = -0.23), paranoid (r = 0.25), histrionic (r = -0.24), borderline (r = -0.25), and compulsive personality (r = -0.32) traits and reported pain perception rate (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Research results showed a correlation between personality traits and pain reported by patients; therefore, therapists and researchers should pay attention to the effect of personality factors when interpreting and treating the pain reported by patients.