Application of the somatization factor of the MMPI-168 with low back pain patients.

The usefulness of the Somatization factor of the MMPI-168 with low back pain patients was examined in two separate studies. In study 1, 58 male veteran low back pain patients who had been divided into organic and mixed groups served as Ss. MMPI protocols were rescored for the five factors of Overall, Hunter, and Butcher (1973). The organic and mixed groups differed only on the Somatization factor. A cutting score of raw greater than or equal to 8 (T = 75) was determined to classify the sample correctly 74.5% of the time. In study 2, a second sample of 48 male veteran low back pain patients was divided into mixed, organic, and functional groups. The mixed group was subdivided further into a mixed-pain group who still were having pain and were seeking treatment and a mixed-relief group who were experiencing a reduction of pain and were returning to vocational activities. The functional and mixed-pain groups differed from the organic and mixed-relief groups on the Somatization and Depression factors. The cutting score determined in the study 1 correctly classified patients 83% of the time.