![]() ; ; et al in Pain Reports (2018) Introduction: Chronic pain and pain-related suffering are major health problems. The lack of controllability of experienced pain seems to greatly contribute to the extent of suffering. This study examined ... [more ▼] Introduction: Chronic pain and pain-related suffering are major health problems. The lack of controllability of experienced pain seems to greatly contribute to the extent of suffering. This study examined how controllability affects the perception of pain and pain related suffering, and the modulation of this effect by beliefs and emotions such as locus of control of reinforcement, pain catastrophizing, and fear of pain. Methods: Twenty-six healthy subjects received painful electric stimulation in both controllable and uncontrollable conditions. Visual analogue scales and the “Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure” were used to assess pain intensity, unpleasantness, pain-related suffering, and the level of perceived control. We also investigated nonverbal indicators of pain and suffering such as heart rate, skin conductance, and corrugator electromyogram. Results: Controllability selectively reduced the experience of pain-related suffering, but did not affect pain intensity or pain unpleasantness. This effect was modulated by chance locus of control but was unrelated to fear of pain or catastrophizing. Physiological responses were not affected by controllability. In a second sample of 25 participants,we varied the instruction. The effect of controllability on pain-related suffering was only present when instructions focused on the person being able to stop the pain. Discussion: Our data suggest that the additional measure of pain-related suffering may be important in the assessment of pain and may be more susceptible to the effects of perceived control than pain intensity and unpleasantness. We also show that this effect depends on personal involvement. [less ▲] Detailed reference viewed: 143 (1 UL)![]() ; ; et al in Zeitschrift für Psychologie (2017), 225(1), 45-53 Although suffering is a central issue in pain, there is only little research on this topic. The aim of this study was to assess suffering in an experimental context using various stimulation methods and ... [more ▼] Although suffering is a central issue in pain, there is only little research on this topic. The aim of this study was to assess suffering in an experimental context using various stimulation methods and durations, and to examine which psychological or psychophysiological measures covary with pain-related suffering. Twenty-one healthy volunteers participated in two experiments in which we used tonic thermal and phasic electric stimuli with short and long stimulus durations. The participants rated pain intensity, unpleasantness, and pain-related suffering on separate visual analog scales (VAS) and completed the Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure (PRISM), originally developed to assess suffering in chronic illness. We measured heart rate, skin conductance responses (SCRs), and the electromyogram (EMG) of the musculus corrugator supercilii. For both heat and electric pain, we obtained high ratings on the suffering scale confirming that suffering can be evoked in experimental pain conditions. Whereas pain intensity and unpleasantness were highly correlated, both scales were less highly related to suffering, indicating that suffering is distinct from pain intensity and unpleasantness. Higher suffering ratings were associated with more pronounced fear of pain and increased private self-consciousness. Pain-related suffering was also related to high resting heart rate, increased SCR, and decreased EMG during painful stimulation. These results offer an approach to the assessment of suffering in an experimental setting using thermal and electric pain stimulation and shed light on its psychological and psychophysiological correlates. [less ▲] Detailed reference viewed: 137 (4 UL)![]() ; ; Schommer, Christoph ![]() Poster (2016, November) Detailed reference viewed: 116 (3 UL)![]() ; ; et al Scientific Conference (2014, October 10) Detailed reference viewed: 210 (1 UL)![]() González Roldán, Ana Maria ![]() ![]() Scientific Conference (2014, October 10) Detailed reference viewed: 85 (1 UL)![]() ; ; et al Scientific Conference (2014, October 10) Detailed reference viewed: 86 (1 UL)![]() Bustan, Smadar ![]() ![]() ![]() Poster (2014, October 07) Detailed reference viewed: 68 (6 UL) |
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