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Relations among Positive Affect, Negative Affect, and Somatic Symptoms in a Medically Ill Patient Sample

The Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), a brief measure of Positive and Negative Affect, may be useful in assessing mood of medical patients because it does not include somatic items frequently confounded with medical conditions. In previous research Positive and Negative Affect have been independent and uncorrelated, and Negative Affect but not Positive Affect has been positively correlated with somatic symptoms. However, relationships between variables may vary in different populations, and there is relatively little information on Positive and Negative Affect in medical patients. In the current study, the PANAS was used to assess the relationships among Positive Affect, Negative Affect, and somatic symptoms and pain in a medically ill hospital population. Positive and Negative Affect scores were positively correlated and for patients reporting pain, Positive Affect scores were positively correlated with pain intensity. Results from this and other studies indicate that Positive and Negative Affect are independent but in some populations may be correlated; positive affects such as hopefulness may co-occur with both somatic complaints and psychological distress.