TY - JOUR
T1 - Weak Relationships Between Psychological Factors and Experimental Pain Outcomes in Pain-Free Individuals
T2 - An Aggregate Analysis of 8 Studies
AU - Boggero, Ian A.
AU - Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas
AU - Hunter, Benjamin M.
AU - Peugh, James
AU - Leon, Eric
AU - Schneider, Victor J.
AU - Emerson, Nichole M.
AU - Thomas, Priya L.
AU - Kashikar-Zuck, Susmita
AU - Hughes, Cassidy
AU - Hoeppli, Marie Eve
AU - King, Christopher D.
AU - Coghill, Robert C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Although psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing are known to influence pain outcomes in chronic pain populations, there are mixed results regarding whether they influence experimental pain outcomes in pain-free individuals. The objectives of this study were to determine the associations between psychological factors and experimental pain outcomes in pain-free adolescents and adults. Relationships between anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing and experimental pain outcomes across 8 different studies (total N = 595) were examined in different populations of pain-free adult and adolescent participants. Analyses were conducted with and without controlling for sex, age, and race. Studies were analyzed separately and as part of an aggregate analysis. Individual study analyses resulted in 136 regression models. Of these, only 8 models revealed a significant association between psychological factors and pain outcomes. The significant results were small and likely due to Type 1 error. Controlling for demographic factors had minimal effect on the results. The aggregate analyses revealed weak relationships between anxiety and pressure pain threshold (Fisher's z = −.10 [−.19, −.01]), anxiety and cold pain intensity ratings (Fisher's z = .18 [.04, .32]), and pain catastrophizing and pressure pain threshold (Fisher's z = −.14 [−.26, −.02]). Sample size calculations based on the aggregate analyses indicated that several hundred participants would be required to detect true relationships between these psychological factors and pain measures. The overall negative findings suggest that in pain-free individuals, anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing are not meaningfully related to experimental pain outcomes. Perspective: Psychological variables have been shown to predict pain outcomes in chronic pain populations but these relationships may not generalize to pain-free populations. An analysis of 595 pain-free individuals across 8 studies in our lab revealed that anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing were not meaningfully related to experimental pain outcomes.
AB - Although psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing are known to influence pain outcomes in chronic pain populations, there are mixed results regarding whether they influence experimental pain outcomes in pain-free individuals. The objectives of this study were to determine the associations between psychological factors and experimental pain outcomes in pain-free adolescents and adults. Relationships between anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing and experimental pain outcomes across 8 different studies (total N = 595) were examined in different populations of pain-free adult and adolescent participants. Analyses were conducted with and without controlling for sex, age, and race. Studies were analyzed separately and as part of an aggregate analysis. Individual study analyses resulted in 136 regression models. Of these, only 8 models revealed a significant association between psychological factors and pain outcomes. The significant results were small and likely due to Type 1 error. Controlling for demographic factors had minimal effect on the results. The aggregate analyses revealed weak relationships between anxiety and pressure pain threshold (Fisher's z = −.10 [−.19, −.01]), anxiety and cold pain intensity ratings (Fisher's z = .18 [.04, .32]), and pain catastrophizing and pressure pain threshold (Fisher's z = −.14 [−.26, −.02]). Sample size calculations based on the aggregate analyses indicated that several hundred participants would be required to detect true relationships between these psychological factors and pain measures. The overall negative findings suggest that in pain-free individuals, anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing are not meaningfully related to experimental pain outcomes. Perspective: Psychological variables have been shown to predict pain outcomes in chronic pain populations but these relationships may not generalize to pain-free populations. An analysis of 595 pain-free individuals across 8 studies in our lab revealed that anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing were not meaningfully related to experimental pain outcomes.
KW - Anxiety
KW - Depression
KW - Pain catastrophizing
KW - Psychological factors
KW - Quantitative sensory testing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85179802771&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.12.001
DO - 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.12.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 38065464
AN - SCOPUS:85179802771
SN - 1526-5900
VL - 25
JO - Journal of Pain
JF - Journal of Pain
IS - 6
M1 - 104444
ER -