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.

Hope Against the Cold: Individual Differences in Trait Hope and Acute Pain Tolerance on the Cold Pressor Task

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Snyder ◽  
Carla Berg ◽  
Julia T. Woodward ◽  
Amber Gum ◽  
Kevin L. Rand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Trait Hope

scholarly journals A longitudinal exploration of pain tolerance and participation in contact sports

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Thornton ◽  
David Sheffield ◽  
Andrew Baird
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
American Football ◽  
Pain Coping ◽  
Cold Pain ◽  
Contact Sports ◽  
Over Time

AbstractBackground/aims Athletes who choose to engage in contact sports do so with the knowledge that participation will bring pain in the form of contact with others, injury, and from exertion. Whilst athletes who play contact sports have been shown to have higher pain tolerance than those who do not, it is unclear whether this is a result of habituation over time, or as a result of individual differences at the outset. The aim was to compare pain responses over an athletic season in athletes who participated in contact sport and those who disengaged from it.Methods One hundred and two new contact athletes completed measures of cold and ischaemic pain tolerance, perceived pain intensity, pain bothersomeness, pain coping styles and attendance at the start, middle (4 months) and end (8 months) of their season. The athletes were drawn from martial arts, rugby and American football. Cluster analysis placed 47 athletes into a participating category and 55 into a non-participating cluster.ResultsParticipating athletes had higher ischaemic pain tolerance at the start (r = 0.27, p = 0.05), middle (r = 0.41, p < 0.0001) and end of the season (r = 0.57, p < 0.0001) compared to non-participating athletes. In addition participating athletes were more tolerant to cold pain at the end of the season (r = 0.39, p < 0.0001), compared to non-participating athletes. Participating athletes also exhibited higher direct coping, catastrophized less about injury pain and also found contact pain to be less bothersome physically and psychologically compared to non-participating athletes. Participating athletes were more tolerant of ischaemic pain at the end of the season compared to the start (r = 0.28, p = 0.04). Conversely nonparticipating athletes became significantly less tolerant to both pain stimuli by the end of the season (cold pressor; r = 0.54, p < 0.0001; ischaemia; r = 0.43, p = 0.006). Pain intensity as measured by a visual analogue scale did not change over the season for both groups.Conclusions Those who cease participation in contact sports become less pain tolerant of experimental pain, possibly a result of catastrophizing. The results suggest that athletes who commit to contact sports find pain less bothersome over time, possibly as a result of experience and learning to cope with pain. Athletes who continue to participate in contact sports have a higher pain tolerance, report less bothersomeness and have higher direct coping than those who drop out. In addition, tolerance to ischaemic pain increased over the season for participating athletes.ImplicationsHaving a low pain tolerance should not prevent athletes from taking part in contact sports, as pain becomes less bothersome in athletes who adhere to such activities. Participating in contact sports may result in maintained cold pain tolerance, increased ischaemic pain tolerance, reduced catastrophizing and better coping skills. Coaches can therefore work with athletes to develop pain coping strategies to aid adherence to contact sports.

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.

scholarly journals Electronic Gaming as Pain Distraction

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Jameson ◽  
Judy Trevena ◽  
Nic Swain
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Pain Control ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Experimental Procedure ◽  
Cold Pressor Task ◽  
Electronic Games ◽  
Active Distraction ◽  
Passive Distraction ◽  
And Task

The current study investigated whether active distraction reduces participants’ experience of pain more than passive distraction during a cold pressor task. In the first experiment, 60 participants were asked to submerge their hand in cold (2°C) water for as long as they could tolerate. They did this with no distraction, and then with active (electronic gaming system) and passive (television) distraction, in randomly assigned order. Tolerance time, pain intensity ratings and task absorption ratings were measured for each condition. A second experiment attempted to control for participants’ expectations about the effects of distraction on pain. Forty participants underwent the same experimental procedure, but were given verbal suggestions about the effects of distraction by the experimenter before each distraction condition. Participants in both experiments had a significantly higher pain tolerance and reported less pain with the active distraction compared with passive or no distraction. Participants reported being more absorbed, and were significantly more willing to do the task again when they had the active distraction compared with both passive distraction and no distraction. They also had more enjoyment, less anxiety and greater reduction in pain with active distraction than with passive distraction. There was no effect of suggestion. These experiments offer further support for the use of electronic games as a method of pain control.

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 tolerance is decreased and independent of clinical pain intensity in patients with endometriosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 1118-1128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieke van Aken ◽  
Joukje Oosterman ◽  
Tineke van Rijn ◽  
Kelly Woudsma ◽  
Magdalena Ferdek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Experimental Pain ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Clinical Pain

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 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.

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