Key result
Experimental thermal and electric pain stimulation successfully evoked suffering, which was distinct from pain intensity and correlated with fear of pain, increased heart rate, and increased SCR.
Why the study?
Can suffering be assessed in an experimental context using thermal and electric pain stimulation, and what are its psychological and psychophysiological correlates?
Can suffering be assessed in an experimental context using thermal and electric pain stimulation, and what are its psychological and psychophysiological correlates?
Suffering can be successfully evoked and measured in experimental pain models, showing distinct psychological and psychophysiological correlates compared to pain intensity and unpleasantness.
May guide targeting fear of pain in experimental models; leaves open clinical translation and causal mechanisms.
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.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Brunner et al. (2017) studied Healthy volunteers (n=21). Experimental pain stimulation (thermal and electric) was evaluated on Pain-related suffering assessed via VAS and PRISM. Experimental thermal and electric pain stimulation successfully evoked suffering, which was distinct from pain intensity and correlated with fear of pain, increased heart rate, and increased SCR.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: