ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Psychological Therapy and Psychosomatics
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Interplay of Chronic Pain and Mental HealthView all 9 articles
Affective Temperament Profiles in Patients with Herpes Zoster and Post-Herpetic Neuralgia: A Comparative Analysis Using TEMPS-A Scale
Provisionally accepted
- Faculty of Medicine, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Türkiye
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This study aimed to compare affective temperament profiles between HZ and PHN patients and examine relationships among temperaments, pain intensity, quality of life, depression, and anxiety. This prospective, cross-sectional study included 70 participants (35 HZ, 35 PHN) recruited from a university pain clinic. Affective temperaments were assessed using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A). Additional measures included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Neuropathic Pain Impact on Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (NePIQoL), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain. PHN patients were significantly older than HZ patients (69.31±6.16 vs. 63.40±9.36 years, p=0.003). Significant differences emerged across all temperament domains (p<0.001). HZ patients demonstrated predominant hyperthymic temperament (12.86±3.99), while PHN patients exhibited primarily anxious temperament (16.03±4.81). PHN patients showed significantly higher depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious temperament scores with large effect sizes (Cohen's d: -0.686 to -1.456). Depression, anxiety, and quality of life measures were significantly worse in PHN patients. Strong correlations were observed between temperament dimensions and pain intensity, particularly in PHN patients (r=- 0.940 to 0.934), and between temperaments and psychological measures. Distinct affective temperament profiles differentiate acute HZ from chronic PHN patients, suggesting temperamental factors may influence pain persistence and psychological outcomes. These findings support incorporating temperament assessment into clinical evaluation for risk stratification and personalized pain management strategies.
Keywords: Affective temperament, Herpes Zoster, neuropathic pain, Post-herpetic Neuralgia, TEMPS-A
Received: 07 Nov 2025; Accepted: 02 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 AKKEMIK and Yiğit Tekkanat. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: UMIT AKKEMIK
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