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.

scholarly journals Painfully Cold: Effects of a Loving-Kindness Meditation on Cold Pressor Task Performance and Empathic Responses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Robertson ◽  
Evangeline Wheeler ◽  
Stephanie Lietzau
Keyword(s):  
Pain Management ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Meditation Group ◽  
To Receive

Mindfulness meditation is sometimes taught as an adjunct to pain management techniques, but scant research has examined the mechanisms by which it works. We compared the effects of different types of meditation (i.e., mindfulness relaxation vs. loving-kindness) on pain tolerance and pain threshold, pain reactivity, self-reported pain levels, and pleasure during a cold pressor task. Furthermore, we explored how empathy levels may differ after a short-term meditation induction, since differences in empathy affect perception of pain. A sample of 71 participants was randomly assigned to receive one of two 6-minute meditation inductions before submerging their hand in ice-cold water. Results indicated no effect of condition on pain tolerance, threshold, or pain reactivity. However, participants in the loving-kindness meditation group reported greater pleasure than those in the mindfulness group. Moreover, empathy levels did not alter after induction, and did not have a significant role in pain management. Results are discussed in terms of how empathy affects pain perception and pain management.

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.

Differential pain modulation in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 116-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Gormsen ◽  
Flemming W. Bach ◽  
Raben Rosenberg ◽  
Troels S. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Neuropathic Pain ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Modulation ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Spontaneous Pain ◽  
Peripheral Neuropathic Pain ◽  
Pressor Test ◽  
Pain Patients

AbstractBackgroundThe definition of neuropathic pain has recently been changed by the International Association for the Study of Pain. This means that conditions such as fibromyalgia cannot, as sometimes discussed, be included in the neuropathic pain conditions. However, fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathic pain share common clinical features such as spontaneous pain and hypersensitivity to external stimuli. Therefore, it is of interest to directly compare the conditions.Material and methodsIn this study we directly compared the pain modulation in neuropathic pain versus fibromyalgia by recording responses to a cold pressor test in 30 patients with peripheral neuropathic pain, 28 patients with fibromyalgia, and 26 pain-free age-and gender-matched healthy controls. Patients were asked to rate their spontaneous pain on a visual analog scale (VAS (0–100 mm) immediately before and immediately after the cold pressor test. Furthermore the duration (s) of extremity immersion in cold water was used as a measure of the pain tolerance threshold, and the perceived pain intensity at pain tolerance on the VAS was recorded on the extremity in the water after the cold pressor test. In addition, thermal (thermo tester) and mechanical stimuli (pressure algometer) were used to determine sensory detection, pain detection, and pain tolerance thresholds in different body parts. All sensory tests were done by the same examiner, in the same room, and with each subject in a supine position. The sequence of examinations was the following: (1) reaction time, (2) pressure thresholds, (3) thermal thresholds, and (4) cold pressor test. Reaction time was measured to ensure that psychomotoric inhibitions did not influence pain thresholds.ResultsPain modulation induced by a cold pressor test reduced spontaneous pain by 40% on average in neuropathic pain patients, but increased spontaneous pain by 2.6% in fibromyalgia patients. This difference between fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain patients was significant (P < 0.002). Fibromyalgia patients withdrew their extremity from the cold water significantly earlier than neuropathic pain patients and healthy controls; however, they had a higher perceived pain intensity on the VAS than neuropathic pain patients and control subjects. Furthermore, neuropathic pain patients had a localized hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli in the affected area of the body. In contrast, fibromyalgia patients displayed a general hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli when the stimuli were rated by the VAS, and hypersensitivity to some of the sensory stimuli.ConclusionsThese findings are the first to suggest that a conditioning stimulus evoked by a cold pressor test reduced spontaneous ongoing pain in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain, but not in fibromyalgia patients when directly compared. The current study supports the notion that fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain are distinct pain conditions with separate sensory patterns and dysfunctions in pain-modulating networks. Fibromyalgia should therefore not, as sometimes discussed, be included in NP conditions.ImplicationsOn the basis of the findings, it is of interest to speculate on the underlying mechanisms. The results are consistent with the idea that peripheral neuropathic pain is primarily driven from damaged nerve endings in the periphery, while chronic fibromyalgia pain may be a central disorder with increased activity in pain-facilitating systems.

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.

Personality traits and sensitivity to pain in male chronic opioid addicts

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elon Eisenberg, MD ◽  
Doron Cohen, MA ◽  
Eli Lawental, PhD ◽  
Dorit Pud, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Novelty Seeking ◽  
Pain Mechanisms

Objective: Previous evidences concerning pain mechanisms, long-term opioids use, and personality traits evolve the possibility that pain perception and opioid abuse are two related phenomena and there is a need to take into account the specific personality traits as well, in examining the relationships among them. Opioid addicts (OAs) have been shown to exhibit different personality traits and pain perception as compared with healthy subjects. The aim of the present study was to examine the relations between personality traits and pain perception among in-treatment OAs in comparison with controls.Design: Participants (54 OAs, 59 controls), all males, were exposed to the cold pressor test and were evaluated for latency of pain onset (seconds); pain intensity (0-100 visual analogue scale [VAS)]); and pain tolerance (time for hand withdrawal). Personality traits were evaluated using Cloninger’s Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, TPQ; harm avoidance, HA; reward dependence, RD; novelty seeking, NS.Results: In comparison with controls, OAs exhibited longer latencies, lower VAS scores, and shorter tolerance, and significantly higher NS, higher HA, and lower RD. Control group, but not OAs, showed a significant positive correlation between HA and VAS (r = 0.31, p = 0.02) and significant negative correlation between HA and tolerance (r = −0.29, p = 0.03).Conclusions: It is concluded that in contrast to healthy population, personality traits, as measured by the TPQ, do not predict pain perception in OAs.

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.

Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Nanocomposite Magnets Self-Organized from FeB-Nd-Nb Metallic Glasses

2008 ◽  
Vol 1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Tamura ◽  
S Kobayashi ◽  
T Fukuzaki ◽  
M Kamiko
Keyword(s):  
Heat Treatment ◽  
Metallic Glasses ◽  
Treatment Condition ◽  
Heat Treatment Condition ◽  
The Self ◽  
Quenching Rate ◽  
Glass Forming ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Nanocomposite Magnets ◽  
Treatment Conditions

ABSTRCTChange of the magnetic property of Fe-B-Nd-Nb alloys was investigated with replacing Nb by a glass forming element Zr under constant quenching rate as well as heat treatment conditions. As a result, the coercivity significantly increases up to 1207 kA/m when the half of Nd is replaced by Zr, which is presumably due to grain refinement of the Nd2Fe14B phase. The self-organized nanograin magnets are attractive for future applications since their coercivity can be further improved by reducing the grain size via optimizing the Zr concentration, the quenching rate and the subsequent heat treatment condition.

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