European journal of pain : EJP
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Observational Study
The impact of parental contact upon cortical noxious-related activity in human neonates.
Neonates display strong behavioural, physiological and cortical responses to tissue-damaging procedures. Parental contact can successfully regulate general behavioural and physiological reactivity of the infant, but it is not known whether it can influence noxious-related activity in the brain. Brain activity is highly dependent upon maternal presence in animal models, and therefore this could be an important contextual factor in human infant pain-related brain activity. ⋯ This observational study found that the way in which the neonatal brain processes a noxious stimulus is altered by the type of contact the infant has with their mother. Specifically, being held in skin-to-skin reduces the magnitude of noxious-related cortical activity. This work has also shown that different neural mechanisms are engaged depending on the mother/infant context, suggesting maternal contact can change how a baby's brain processes a noxious stimulus.
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Vulvodynia is a prevalent chronic vulval pain condition affecting 10%-28% of women, and significantly impacting their health and quality of life. It is currently poorly understood and biomedical treatments achieve only modest benefits for pain and sexual functioning. A wider psychosocial conceptualization of this condition may improve outcomes. There is currently no coherent understanding of how psychosocial factors may contribute to outcomes in Vulvodynia. The aim of this review is to identify and systematically review psychosocial factors associated with pain and sexual outcomes and to inform a psychosocial model of Vulvodynia. ⋯ The systematic review highlights the role of psychosocial factors associated with pain and sexual functioning in Vulvodynia. The review findings reveal that Vulvodynia presents both similar and unique cognitive, behavioural and interpersonal features compared to other chronic pain conditions. There may be important roles for negative sexual cues, body image-related factors during intercourse, partner factors, self-efficacy beliefs and penetration cognitions, in relation to pain and sexual functioning.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The effect of in-session exposure in Fear-Avoidance treatment of chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.
Treatment based on the Fear-Avoidance (FA) model has been found to be effective with chronic low back pain (CLBP), and in-vivo exposure of fear evoking movements is proposed as a key change mechanism. Exposure tasks may be conducted in the session (in-session exposure; ISE), in other real-life situations (between sessions exposure) as part of homework assignments, or both. Utilising a randomized, controlled dismantling study design, the aim of this study was to examine the unique effects of ISE in FA-treatment of CLBP. ⋯ This study adds to the existing research literature demonstrating FA-treatment to be effective with CLBP, but further experimental studies are needed in order to examine under what circumstances ISE of feared movements may add to positive treatment outcomes.
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Research suggests that the way others react to a pain flare-up impacts on psychological and pain-related symptoms in chronic pain (CP). Experiencing validation from others is associated with less negative emotions and better functioning. Contrarily, experiencing criticism is linked to greater pain intensity and worse functioning. Nonetheless, studies are limited by an exclusive focus on spouses rather than significant other relationships, the use of proxy constructs (e.g. social support, responsiveness, solicitousness) rather than specific measures of validation and criticism and a focus on significant others' behaviour rather than patients' subjective experience. This study examines the psychometric properties of a new measure - Perceived Validation and Criticism in Pain Questionnaire (PVCPQ), and tests its contribution to functional impairment beyond pain intensity, sociodemographic and medical-related variables, positive and negative affect, safeness and compassion from others. ⋯ The current study provides a new 23-item measure of perceived validation and criticism by others in chronic pain that overcomes the limitations of existing measures. It adds to the literature by suggesting that perceived criticism (but not validation) contributes to functional impairment beyond sociodemographic variables, pain intensity, affect and related constructs such as social safeness and compassion from others. These results suggest that psychosocial interventions that aim to promote functioning in chronic pain should focus on the subjective experience of being criticized and validated by significant others.
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Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) methods are experimental procedures to assess presumed descending nociceptive modulatory pathways. Various CPM-methods are currently used, making the comparison of results difficult. The aim of this study was to compare five conditioning stimuli and to evaluate the influencing effects of personal factors on CPM-efficacy. ⋯ Hot water immersion, cold pressor test, and single and double ischemic occlusion result in comparable CPM-effects at the mm. trapezius and quadriceps. Anti-nociceptive effects of the cold pack are mainly a result of attention towards the cold pack. Chronic stress, attentional focus towards the conditioning stimulus and perceived pain of the conditioning stimulus influenced the anti-nociceptive effects at the m. trapezius. Gender and level of physical activity influenced the anti-nociceptive effects with the other methods at the m. quadriceps.