Mind–Body Connections: Gender differences in Pain Perception, Anxiety Sensitivity, and their Impact on Cardiac Health

Objectives: The study aimed to identify and analyze gender-specific patterns in the perception of pain and anxiety sensitivity and how they interact to affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Materials and Methods: 68 acute MI patients presented within 3 months of the cardiac event during the time span from May to September 2024 were included. They were assessed using Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III, McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form, and Short Form-36 Health Survey. Independent samples t -test was used to analyze the gender differences and Cohen’s d as a measure of effect size. Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis were done to assess the relationship between variables and to ascertain the predicted variance toward HRQoL. Results: Anxiety sensitivity and fear of pain were higher in females. Women reported increased perception of sensory and affective pain. HRQoL was found to be higher in males. Anxiety sensitivity played a statistically significant role in the prediction of the HRQoL. Conclusion: This study highlights the presence of significant differences in the anxiety sensitivity, pain perception, and fear of pain among male and female acute MI patients. Our findings suggest a significant role of anxiety sensitivity in mediating the quality of life in MI patients post the cardiac event. This may be a result of a unique combination of several biological, psychological, or sociocultural factors which tend to differ by gender and therefore require an individualized approach to assessment and comprehensive management.