The objective of this 6-month longitudinal study of 37 whiplash patients receiving chiropractic intervention was to examine the relationship between self-reports of the physical and psychological effects of whiplash injury. All participants completed the Accident Fear Questionnaire Phobic Anxiety scale (AFQ–PA), the Pain Disability Index (PDI), and a symptom checklist. Significant associations were found among AFQ–PA, PDI, and number of symptoms, which were consistent across time. Higher phobic scores tend to coexist with higher scores on self- report measures of the physical symptoms of whiplash. Receiving treatment for only the physical symptoms of whiplash may be less effective if the patient also suffers from an accident phobia and vice versa. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting