scholarly journals How Do I Help My Partner in Pain? Partners’ Helping Behaviors Are Linked to Lower Pain and Greater Perceived Validation During an Experimental Pain Task

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-290
Author(s):  
Bethany D Pester ◽  
Annmarie Caño ◽  
Toni Kostecki ◽  
Lee H Wurm
Keyword(s):  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Romantic Couples ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Pain Outcomes ◽  
Lower Pain ◽  
Partner Behaviors

Abstract Background Observers’ responses to people with illness are important predictors of quality of life, yet findings are mixed regarding the types of responses that affect illness-related suffering. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether perspective taking positively affects observers’ responses to their romantic partner experiencing experimentally induced pain and whether responses based in Self-Determination Theory and communication models of illness are related to perceived validation and pain outcomes. Methods Undergraduate romantic couples (N = 122) completed baseline questionnaires; then one partner was randomly assigned to complete the cold pressor task, whereas the other partner observed. Couples were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a perspective-taking group in which observers were privately instructed to take the perspective of the pain participant or a control group. Afterward, both partners completed surveys, and pain participants completed a video recall task in which they recalled partner behaviors that were coded by trained raters using a theoretically derived manual. Results Pain participants in the perspective-taking group identified significantly less invalidating communication from their partners, fewer behaviors that thwarted their competence, and more behaviors that supported their autonomy. Across groups, pain participants who received more normalizing communication that supported their competence felt more validated by their partners, had lower pain intensity, and exhibited greater pain tolerance, whereas those who received more invalidation showed worse outcomes. Conclusions The results from this study suggest that attention to different types of partner behaviors is essential when developing behavioral medicine treatments for pain and illness.

scholarly journals Laboratory Personnel Gender and Cold Pressor Apparatus Affect Subjective Pain Reports

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. e13-e18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob M Vigil ◽  
Lauren N Rowell ◽  
Joe Alcock ◽  
Randy Maestes
Keyword(s):  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Cold Pain ◽  
Laboratory Personnel ◽  
Subjective Pain ◽  
Lower Pain ◽  
Pain Reporting ◽  
Pain Reports

BACKGROUND: There is no standardized method for cold pressor pain tasks across experiments. Temperature, apparatus and aspects of experimenters vary widely among studies. It is well known that experimental pain tolerance is influenced by setting as well as the sex of the experimenter. It is not known whether other contextual factors influence experimental pain reporting.OBJECTIVES: The present two-part experiment examines whether minimizing and standardizing interactions with laboratory personnel (eg, limiting interaction with participants to consenting and questions and not during the actual pain task) eliminates the influence of examiner characteristics on subjective pain reports and whether using different cold pain apparatus (cooler versus machine) influences reports.METHODS:The present experiment manipulated the gender of the experimenter (male, female and transgender) and the type of cold pressor task (CPT) apparatus (ice cooler versus refrigerated bath circulator). Participants conducted the CPT at one of two pain levels (5°C or 16°C) without an experimenter present.RESULTS:Men and women showed lower pain sensitivity when they were processed by biological male personnel than by biological female personnel before the CPT. Women who interacted with a transgendered researcher likewise reported higher pain sensitivity than women processed by biological male or female researchers. The type of CPT apparatus, despite operating at equivalent temperatures, also influenced subjective pain reports.DISCUSSION: The findings show that even minimal interactions with laboratory personnel who differ in gender, and differences in laboratory materials impact the reliable measurement of pain.CONCLUSION: More standardized protocols for measuring pain across varying research and clinical settings should be developed.

scholarly journals Experimental Pain Responses in Children with Chronic Pain and in Healthy Children: How Do They Differ?

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennie CI Tsao ◽  
Subhadra Evans ◽  
Laura C Seidman ◽  
Lonnie K Zeltzer
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Cold Pain ◽  
Lower Pain ◽  
Pain Responses

BACKGROUND: Extant research comparing laboratory pain responses of children with chronic pain with healthy controls is mixed, with some studies indicating lower pain responsivity for controls and others showing no differences. Few studies have included different pain modalities or assessment protocols.OBJECTIVES: To compare pain responses among 26 children (18 girls) with chronic pain and matched controls (mean age 14.8 years), to laboratory tasks involving thermal heat, pressure and cold pain. Responses to cold pain were assessed using two different protocols: an initial trial of unspecified duration and a second trial of specified duration.METHODS: Four trials of pressure pain and of thermal heat pain stimuli, all of unspecified duration, were administered, as well as the two cold pain trials. Heart rate and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and after completion of the pain tasks.RESULTS: Pain tolerance and pain intensity did not differ between children with chronic pain and controls for the unspecified trials. For the specified cold pressor trial, 92% of children with chronic pain completed the entire trial compared with only 61.5% of controls. Children with chronic pain exhibited a trend toward higher baseline and postsession heart rate and reported more anxiety and depression symptoms compared with control children.CONCLUSIONS: Contextual factors related to the fixed trial may have exerted a greater influence on pain tolerance in children with chronic pain relative to controls. Children with chronic pain demonstrated a tendency toward increased arousal in anticipation of and following pain induction compared with controls.

scholarly journals Taboo gesticulations as a response to pain

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-406
Author(s):  
Maarten Jacobs ◽  
Ilja van Beest ◽  
Richard Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Pain Perception ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Middle Finger ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Lower Pain ◽  
Finger Control ◽  
Ice Water

Abstract Background and aims Prior research indicates that swearing increases pain tolerance and decreases pain perception in a cold pressor task. In two experiments, we extend this research by testing whether taboo hand gesticulations have a similar effect. Methods Study 1 focused on males and females who, across two trials, submerged an extended middle finger (taboo) and an extended index finger (control) in ice water until discomfort necessitated removal. Study 2 focused exclusively on pain perception in males who, across three trials, submerged their hand, flat, with extended middle finger and with extended index finger, for 45 s each. Results In study 1 taboo gesticulation did not increase pain tolerance or reduce pain perception compared with the index finger control condition, as a main effect or as part of an interaction with condition order. While there was a gesture×gender interaction for pain tolerance, this was driven by an increased pain tolerance for the index finger gesture for women but not men. The results of study 2 again showed that taboo gesticulation did not lower pain perception, although it did increase positive affect compared with both non-taboo gesture conditions. Conclusions Taken together these results provide only limited evidence that taboo gesticulation alters the experience of pain. These largely null findings further our understanding of swearing as a response to pain, suggesting that the activation of taboo schemas is not sufficient for hypoalgesia to occur.

scholarly journals The Effects of Mindful Attention on Cold Pressor Pain in Children

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Petter ◽  
Christine T Chambers ◽  
Jill MacLaren Chorney
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Guided Imagery ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Trait Mindfulness ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Mindful Attention

BACKGROUND: Typical interventions for acute pain in children attempt to reduce pain by directing attention away from pain. Conversely, mindfulness involves devoting attention to one’s experience in an accepting and nonjudgmental way. However, the effect that instructing children to mindfully devote attention to acute pain has on pain outcomes is unknown.OBJECTIVES: To examine whether mindful attention can help children attend to pain without increasing pain intensity or decreasing pain tolerance; to compare the effects of mindful attention with a well-established intervention designed to take attention away from pain (guided imagery); and to test whether baseline coping style or trait mindfulness alter the effects of these interventions.METHODS: A total of 82 children (10 to 14 years of age) completed measures of coping style and trait mindfulness. Participants then received either mindful attention or guided imagery instructions designed to direct attention toward or away from pain, respectively, before participating in a cold pressor task.RESULTS: The mindful attention group reported more awareness of the physical sensations of pain and thoughts about those sensations. Overall, there were no between-group differences in measures of pain intensity or pain tolerance during the cold pressor task, and no evidence of an interaction between baseline characteristics of the child and experimental condition.CONCLUSIONS: Mindful attention was successful in helping children focus attention on experimental pain without increasing pain intensity or decreasing tolerance compared with a well-established intervention for acute pain reduction.

scholarly journals The Role of Musical Attributes in Music-induced Analgesia: A Preliminary Brief Report

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Basiński ◽  
Agata Zdun-Ryżewska ◽  
Mikołaj Majkowicz
Keyword(s):  
Pain Perception ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Modulation ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Pain Ratings ◽  
Musical Characteristics ◽  
Average Pain

Music-induced analgesia (MIA) is the ability of music to influence pain perception. Although this phenomenon has been extensively studied in recent years, only a few studies have addressed what musical characteristics are optimal for MIA. Here, we present a novel approach to this topic, using a recently proposed model of music attribute preferences. The model addresses three musical dimensions: arousal, valence, and depth. Thirty participants (fifteen women and fifteen men, M age = 37.1 years, standard deviation = 15.7) were subjected to experimental pain stimulation (cold-pressor task) while listening to music characteristic of the three attribute dimensions. There was also a control condition, where participants listened to white noise. Results showed that average pain ratings were significantly lower in arousal (p = .002) and depth (p = .01) conditions in comparison to the control condition. Furthermore, participants showed increased pain tolerance in musical conditions in comparison to the control condition (p = .04). The results contribute to better understanding of the mechanisms of pain modulation, and to the development of novel evidence-based therapies of chronic pain. In the advent of on-line music streaming services, this research opens new possibilities for music-based pain interventions.

Comparison of Three Cognitive Strategies in Altering Pain Behaviors on a Cold Pressor Task

1984 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 235-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Gilligan ◽  
L. Michael Ascher ◽  
Jeffery Wolper ◽  
Chrystyna Bochachevsky
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Condition ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
The Self ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Pain Experience ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Treatment Conditions

The efficacy of three cognitive strategies for coping with pain was examined in a cold-water pressor task in a sample of college students. Subjects were pretested and then randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions (Paradoxical Intention, Rational Self-statement, or Self-observation) or to an expectancy control group. Following training in the respective cognitive strategies, all groups were given a posttest in the cold-water pressor to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. Pain thresholds, tolerances, and discomfort ratings were recorded for subjects in each condition. No differences were found between the Paradoxical Intention or Rational Self-statement groups and the Expectancy Control on any of the pain measures. The Self-observation treatment condition, however, had significantly higher pain tolerance scores than the Expectancy Control group. The findings were attributed to the subjects' dissociating the sensory aspects of the pain experience from the anxiety when focusing upon the coldness and wetness of the cold water.

Effects of Playing Video Games on Pain Response during a Cold Pressor Task

2009 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 439-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Raudenbush ◽  
Jerrod Koon ◽  
Trevor Cessna ◽  
Kristin McCombs
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Video Game Play ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Lower Pain ◽  
Game Condition

Two studies assessed whether playing video games would significantly distract participants from painful stimulation via a cold pressor test. In Study 1, participants (8 men, 22 women, M age= 18.5 yr., SD = 1.3) in an action-oriented game condition tolerated pain for a longer time period and reported lower pain intensity ratings than those in a nonaction-oriented game or a nongame control condition. No differences were found on scores of aggressiveness, competitiveness, or prior video game experience, suggesting that these factors play little role. In Study 2, participants (14 men, 13 women, M age= 19.7 yr., SD= 1.3) engaged in six video game conditions (action, fighting, puzzle, sports, arcade, and boxing) and a nongame control condition. Video game play produced an increase in pulse, which was greatest during the action, fighting, sports, and boxing games. Pain tolerance was greatest during the sports and fighting games. Thus, certain games produce greater distraction, which may have implications for the medical field as an adjunct to pain management.

scholarly journals The Confounding Effect of Assessor Ethnicity on Subjective Pain Reporting in Women

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Jacob Miguel Vigil ◽  
Patrick Coulombe ◽  
Lauren Nikki Rowell ◽  
Chance Strenth ◽  
Eric Kruger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Severe Pain ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Random Effects Models ◽  
Subjective Pain ◽  
Lower Pain ◽  
Pain Reporting ◽  
Hispanic White

The current study examines how subjective pain reporting is influenced by the concordant and discordant nature of the ethnic identities of pain expressers (participants) and pain assessors (experimenters). Three discomfort conditions that varied in stimuli intensity (Study 1: mild pain; Study 2: severe pain), and distraction components (Study 3) were used to assess whether pain intensity and tolerance reporting differ with the ethnic identification of the participant and the experimenter. Specifically, 87 Hispanic and 74 Non-Hispanic White (NHW) women (18–51 yrs., Mage = 20.0, SD = 4.3) underwent a cold pressor pain task (CPT) after engaging in minimal procedural interactions with one of the 22 research experimenters (47% Hispanic, 42% females). The procedural interactions with the experimenters included only consenting and instructions, with no interaction between experimenter and participant during the actual CPT. Random-effects models showed that between the 0% and 18% of the variance in pain sensitivity (intensity and tolerance scores) was attributable to characteristics of the experimenters. Controlling for self-esteem, baseline pain levels, and the gender of the experimenter, Hispanic subjects showed higher pain sensitivity (as marked by lower pain tolerance and higher pain intensity scores) following interactions with an NHW rather than a Hispanic experimenter in response to the most severe pain intensity stimuli. These results question the validity of common findings of ethnic differences in pain sensitivity from studies that have not accounted for the ethnic identity of the pain assessor (and the general communicative nature of pain reporting).

scholarly journals The Computer-Assisted Cognitive/Imagery System for Use in the Management of Pain

2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J Borckardt ◽  
Jarred Younger ◽  
Justin Winkel ◽  
Michael R Nash ◽  
Darlene Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Pain Management ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Management Group ◽  
Pain Management Program ◽  
Subjective Pain

BACKGROUND:There is growing interest in computer-delivered psychological interventions for a number of clinical conditions, including pain.OBJECTIVES:This study tests the effectiveness of a new computer-delivered pain-management program using a laboratory pain paradigm.METHODS:One hundred twenty undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either the computerized pain-management group or the distraction control group. Subjects underwent a cold-pressor task and were asked to continuously rate their subjective pain experience.RESULTS:Women receiving the computerized pain management intervention were able to tolerate the cold-pressor task longer than those in the control group. No effect was found for men. Subjective pain ratings were consistently lower during the cold-pressor task for subjects in the computerized pain-management group regardless of sex. Subjects receiving the computerized intervention reported feeling more comfortable and relaxed than control subjects during the cold-pressor task.CONCLUSIONS:Findings indicate that further investigations of the program used in this study are warranted to determine its potential clinical utility and that of similar computerized interventions for pain.

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