Self-reported symptoms of stress in Finnish patients with craniomandibular disorders

This study compared the stress reports of Finnish craniomandibular disorder patients and nonpatients by using the Symptoms of Stress Inventory as a screening device. A comparison of Finnish and American craniomandibular disorder patients' stress reports was made in the same manner. The overall stress level of craniomandibular disorder patients was higher than that of nonpatients. The patients had elevated scores on somatic subscales, with muscle tension symptoms being the most characteristic. These results are in accordance with American results. However, statistically significant differences were not found for emotional symptoms.