European journal of pain : EJP
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Research among adult and paediatric samples suggests that pain-related injustice appraisals contribute to adverse pain-related functioning. However, a singular focus on pain-related injustice appraisals carries the risk of underestimating the role of broader concepts of justice. This study examined the unique roles of child pain-related injustice appraisals and just-world beliefs in understanding disability and physical, emotional, social and academic functioning, as well as the mediating role of injustice appraisals in the relationship between just-world beliefs and functioning. ⋯ The present study adds to emerging literature on the adverse effects of child pain-related injustice appraisals in the context of pain, through showing that pain-related injustice appraisals are uniquely associated with pain-related functioning and mediate the relationship between just-world beliefs and pain-related functioning. These findings suggest that interventions may target pain-related injustice appraisals as a mechanism for change in children.
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There is a broad range of evidence on optimism dampening the pain experience, as assessed by subjective self-report. Facial expression of pain conveys supplementary information about the pain experience, is an integral part of pain communication and assists psychosocial pain coping. Nevertheless, the effect of induced optimism on facial activity during pain has to our knowledge not been examined. ⋯ This study is the first to indicate that state optimism increases the facial expression of pain as a social signal for help and empathy without concomitant changes in the subjective pain experience.
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A noxious stimulus following a more intense stimulus often feels less painful than continuous noxious stimulation. This effect, known as offset analgesia (OA), may be due to descending inhibitory control, to changes in peripheral neural transmission or both. The timing and location of noxious thermal stimulation were manipulated to better understand the peripheral and central contributions to OA. ⋯ Offset analgesia (OA) is a fundamentally temporal phenomenon dependent on dynamic changes in stimulus intensity. Here we demonstrate increased OA with increased stimulus duration. This finding implies the more slowly-responding AMH-I peripheral mechanoreceptors contribute to OA. The more rapidly responding AMH-II peripheral mechanoreceptors, however, may be absent or more difficult to activate in the palm where we did not observe OA. This finding implies that the AMH-II receptors are necessary for OA. Our studies suggest methods to unravel the different peripheral and central contributions to OA.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Nasopharyngeal swab-induced pain for SARS-CoV-2 screening: A randomised controlled trial of conventional and self-swabbing.
Massive screening campaigns for SARS-CoV-2 are currently carried out throughout the world, relying on reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) following nasopharyngeal swabbing performed by a healthcare professional. Yet, due to the apprehension of pain induced by nasopharyngeal probing, poor adhesion to those screening campaigns can be observed. To enhance voluntary participation and to avoid unnecessary exposition to SARS-CoV-2, self-swabbing could be proposed. To date, no data have been published concerning pain induced by conventional- or self-swabbing. Thus, the primary objective of the present study was to evaluate pain induced with the conventional swabbing method and compare it to self-swabbing. Secondary objectives focused on swabbing-induced discomfort and acceptability of the two methods. ⋯ Using the thinnest available swabs, procedural pain induced by nasopharyngeal swabbing for SARS-CoV-2 screening is very low for most subjects and should not limit voluntary participation in screening campaigns. Self-swabbing does not lead to more pain or discomfort compared to conventional swabbing, is well-accepted, and could be proposed to optimize screening campaigns, at least in healthcare professionals.
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While pain is very common in older adults, the associated impact on daily life, including usage of medication and healthcare, varies considerably and often pain remains inadequately treated. It is not clear what is associated with this variation. ⋯ While pain is very common in older adults, the usage of medication and healthcare varies considerably and often pain remains inadequately treated. Given our ageing population and the significant number of older adults reporting high biopsychosocial risk (24%), there is a need to optimize current pain management approaches. Intensive non-pharmacological approaches to pain management in older adults, tailored to individual biopsychosocial risk indicators for each individual class, may be worth exploring.