The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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Burn injuries are significantly painful and associated with physical and psychological impairment. However, little research to-date has examined the potential role of the subjective experience of pain in either physical or psychological impairment in this population. This may be particularly important to examine, given that the pain experience can often be a significant barrier to recovery in other pediatric populations. ⋯ Future research is needed to further examine these relationships. PERSPECTIVE: This study presents preliminary findings from a national database on pain-related outcomes both cross-sectionally and longitudinally in youth with a history of burn injury. To-date, pain-related outcomes are poorly understood in this population and the results of this study serve to inform future research and treatment-related efforts.
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This longitudinal case-control study aims to 1) compare symptoms and functioning in otherwise healthy adolescents with versus without a parent with chronic pain (Parent CP+/Parent CP-) 2) test adolescent sex as a moderator of the relation between parent CP group and child functioning, and 3) determine changes in adolescent pain over 1 year. Adolescents (n = 140; ages 11-15) completed tests of pain responsivity and physical function, as well as self-report measures assessing pain characteristics, somatic symptoms, and physical and psychosocial functioning. Self-reported pain and somatic symptoms were reassessed 1 year later. ⋯ PERSPECTIVE: Adolescents who have a parent with chronic pain demonstrate higher pain and lower physical function than adolescents who have a parent without chronic pain. Group differences in pain and somatic symptoms persist over 1 year. Family based interventions are needed for comprehensive pain prevention and treatment.
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Acute pain after breast surgery decreases the quality of life of cancer survivors. Previous studies using a variety of definitions and methods report prevalence rates between 10% and 80%, which suggests the need for a comprehensive framework that can be used to guide assessment of acute pain and pain-related outcomes after breast surgery. ⋯ PERSPECTIVE: The AAAPT provides a framework to define and guide improved assessment of acute pain after breast surgery, which will enhance generalizability of results across studies and facilitate meta-analyses and studies of interindividual variation, and underlying mechanism. It will allow researchers and clinicians to better compare between treatments, across institutions, and with other types of acute pain.
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Pain intensity ratings are subject to various cognitive modulations - yet the mechanisms underlying this influence are still not understood. In a conditioning protocol, pain-related expectations were induced through pairing predefined movements with a noxious or innocuous stimulus in either a predictable or unpredictable fashion. Healthy volunteers (N = 37) categorized the stimuli as either painful or nonpainful and rated its perceived intensity. ⋯ As such, changes in pain ratings could be based in either of these processes, which may require a different approach when targeted as part of psychological pain treatment. PERSPECTIVE: Changes in reported pain levels were linked to two distinct mechanisms, suggesting that increased pain reports could be attributed to either enhanced sensory processing or biased inferences. Our results might contribute to the development of person-tailored treatments based on the identification of latent mechanisms using computational models.