Study Design. Prospective cohort study.

Objective. This study investigates the role of pain cata-strophizing and causal beliefs with regard to severity and persistence of neck complaints after motor vehicle acci-dents. Summary of Background Data. In previous research on low back pain, somatoform disorders and chronic fa-tigue syndrome, pain catastrophizing and causal beliefs were found to be related to perceived disability and prog-nosis. Furthermore, it has been argued with respect to whiplash that culturally dependent symptom expecta-tions are responsible for a chronic course. Methods. Individuals involved in traffic accidents who initiated compensation claim procedures with a Dutch insurance company were sent questionnaires (Q1) con-taining the Neck Disability Index, the Pain Catastrophizin