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MARK P. JENSEN ET AL.
(Geisser, Roth, & Robinson, 1997; Turk & Okifuji, 1994). The CES-D
was administered once, by telephone, during each assessment window.
Perceived control over pain was assessed using the 10-item Control
scale of the Survey of Pain Attitudes (SOPA; Jensen, Turner, Romano,
& Lawler, 1994). Support for the reliability of this scale comes from
previous research that has shown it to have adequate levels of internal
consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .71) and test-retest stability over a 6-
week period (
r
= .68; Jensen, Turner, Romano, & Lawler, 1994). The
SOPA Control scale’s validity has been supported through its ability to
predict physical disability ( Jensen, Turner, Romano, & Lawler, 1994)
as well as its responsivity to treatments thought to impact perceived
control over pain ( Jensen, Turner, & Romano, 1994, 2001). The SOPA
Control scale was administered once, by telephone, during each
assessment window.
Predictor measures.
The variables which were used to predict outcome
in the current study include measures of (a) general hypnotizability, (b)
outcome expectancies, (c) change in pain from the beginning to the end
of the first treatment session, (d) concentration of treatment, and (e)
diagnostic group. Change in pain in the first treatment session was
computed by subtracting each participant’s report of pain intensity at
the end of the first treatment session from his or her rating of pain
intensity at the beginning of the first treatment session. Concentration
of treatment (range = 10 to 45 days) and diagnosis were pulled from
the study database; analyses regarding diagnosis were conducted only
for participants with SCI, amputation, and MS, because only these
diagnoses had adequate numbers of participants to allow for prelimi-
nary comparisons between diagnostic groups (see below).
A modified version of the Stanford Hypnotic Clinical Scale (SHCS;
Hilgard & Hilgard, 1994) was used to assess general hypnotizability
and was administered by a trained research assistant at the time of
study recruitment. The SHCS has demonstrated its validity through
its positive association with other measures of hypnotizability (Hilgard
& Hilgard). The SHCS consists of five suggestions used to elicit
specific classic hypnotic responses, including hand lowering, suggested
cough/throat clearing, amnesia, age regression, and a suggestion for
having a dream. The hand-lowering item was modified to allow for
alternative motor responses (e.g., moving the head to the right) if the
participant had motor deficits in his or her arms. One of the study
participants became upset during the age regression suggestion
(recalling her husband who had died) and elected not to continue
with hypnotizability assessment, although she did elect to continue
with treatment and otherwise provided complete data. A second
participant fell asleep during the hypnotizability assessment, and a
second assessment could not be scheduled before treatment began.