Empathy among health science undergraduates toward the diagnosis of chronic pain: An experimental study.

Objectives: To analyse the empathetic response of future health professionals toward people diagnosed with chronic pain differentiated by the degree of visibility and credibility of symptoms. Methods: A total of 203 undergraduates performed an experimental task using vignettes depicting different diagnoses of chronic pain and completed questionnaires measuring dispositional and situational empathy. A MANCOVA analysis was conducted. Results: The main effects of chronic pain diagnoses did not significantly affect situational empathy (p = .587, η2 = 0.007, d = 0.229). The dispositional empathy variables perspective-taking and personal distress affected the situational empathy scores (p = .002, η2 = 0.072, d = 0.906, and p = .043, η2 = 0.032, d = 0.547, respectively). Conclusions: It would seem appropriate to foster intra-individual empathy factors among health science undergraduates such that they can more readily understand the process of individual adaptation to chronic pain and thus manage it more effectively. Practice implications: It would be useful for dispositional empathy to form part of the transversal competences of the training programmes of future health professionals from the beginning of their studies

A structural model of the relationships between optimism and perceived emotional intelligence on bullying victimization and health.

Bullying is a relationship in which an individual, or a group of individuals, intentionally and repeatedly perpetrates aggressive behaviors towards someone unable to defend himself/herself. Traditional forms of bullying consist of physical, verbal and covert forms of aggressive behaviors. Recently, the new phenomenon of cyberbullying has emerged. This relatively new form of bullying is defined as a behavior displayed through electronic or digital media. Multiple variables have been related to bullying victimization including perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) and optimism. Both variables have implications on the manner in which people cope with stressful experiences as could be bullying, which in turn could affect the level of perceived health. However, there are no studies that have considered all these variables simultaneously. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine, via structural equation modelling, the independent contribution of EI and optimism on bullying victimization and perceived physical health in adolescents. A total of 650 secondary school students (317 boys and 333 girls, with ages ranged from 11 to 18) participated in the study. The participants completed measures of PIE (TMMS-24; Fernández-Berrocal et al., 2004), optimism (General Mood Subscale of the Emotional Quotient Inventory-Youth Version; Bar-On and Parker, 2000), bullying (School Victimization Scale; Cava et al., 2010), cyberbullying (Cyber-Victimization Scale; Buelga et al., 2012), and physical health (KIDSCREEN-10 Index; Raven-Sieberer et al., 2004). Results gave partial empirical support to the hypothesized model, and shows significant relationships between the variables: optimism on clarity and repair dimensions of IE (but not on the attention subscale), optimism and attention (but not clarity and repair dimensions) on bullying, and bullying on health. Together these findings shed light on those factors that should be considered when developing prophylactic strategies within adolescents to become more resilient to the adverse effects of bullying behavior.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

How do the activity patterns of people with chronic pain influence the empathic response of future health professionals: an experimental study.

Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Chronic pain in the time of COVID-19: Stress aftermath and central sensitization.

Se ha pagado la tarifa APC.Objectives.The COVID-19 crisis is a significant stressor worldwide. The physical andemotional condition of individuals with pain sensitization syndromes who are experi-encing the pandemic may worsen. This study investigated the contribution of life changesdue to the coronavirus to emotional distress in individuals with a diagnosis of chroniccentral sensitization pain and tested whether the associations between level of pain andsensitization were independent of or mediated by emotional distress.Methods.Spanish individuals with chronic pain (N=362) completed an online surveyon direct or indirect exposure to the consequences of COVID-19, pain intensity, andemotional distress. They also completed central sensitization questionnaires.Results.An association was found between changes in daily routines and pain intensity,emotional distress, and sensitization scores. Correlations were found between emotionaldistress, sensitization, and pain intensity. Significant predictors of emotional distress wereage, difficulty in receiving medical care, changes in daily routines, and diminished socialsupport. Emotional distress did not mediate the association between sensitization andpain intensity.Conclusion.Due to the COVID-19 situation, individuals with central sensitization painsyndromes may be at higher risk of developing psychological distress. Interdisciplinaryinterventions involving psychologists are urgently needed to provide this population withappropriate health care

Intolerance of Uncertainty Moderates the Relationship between Catastrophizing, Anxiety, and Perceived Pain in People with Chronic Nononcological Pain.

Se ha pagado con un APCObjective.Substantial empirical evidence has shown that intolerance of uncertainty is a central transdiagnostic fea-ture in psychopathology and it has been suggested to be a pain-related psychological factor contributing to the ex-perience of chronic pain. However, research in this area is virtually nonexistent. The objective of this study was to in-vestigate associations between pain severity, catastrophizing, and anxiety in people with chronic nononcologicalpain, while assuming that intolerance of uncertainty moderates these relationships.Methods.A convenience sampleof 188 individuals with nononcological chronic pain (157 women and 32 men) participated in the study. We investi-gated the moderated mediation of intolerance of uncertainty between anxiety and catastrophizing and between cata-strophizing and pain intensity.Results.The full moderated mediation model accounted for significant variance inpain intensity (R2¼0.148,P<.001). Intolerance of uncertainty significantly moderated the interaction between anxi-ety and catastrophizing (B¼0.039, SE¼0.012, 95% CI [0.015, 0.063]) and between catastrophizing and pain intensity(B¼-0.034, SE¼0.010, 95% CI [ 0.054, 0.014]). Anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty did not interact in predictingcatastrophizing, although an interaction effect was found between intolerance of uncertainty and catastrophizing inpredicting pain intensity.Conclusion.This study is the first to address the interrelationship of intolerance of uncer-tainty, catastrophizing, and anxiety in relation to perceived pain intensity. The current findings support intoleranceof uncertainty as a relevant psychological variable that is distinct from other relevant constructs in the setting ofpain research and treatment

Pain Interference, Resilience, and Perceived Well-Being DuringCOVID-19: Differences Between Women With and Without Trauma Exposure Prior to the Pandemic.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in women with non-malignant chronic pain, and to determine whether women exposed to traumatic situations prior to the outbreak would be at a higher risk of negative health impacts.Methods: A total of 365 women were divided into three subgroups according to whether or not they had experienced a traumatic event prior to COVID-19. They completed an online survey.Results: Significant differences were found between groups during lockdown: 1) more psychological abuse was experienced by the group of women who had experienced an interpersonal traumatic event prior to the pandemic than in the other subgroups; 2)physical activity levels were higher and scores on pain interference were lower in women in the non-traumatized subgroup than in the other subgroups; 3) pain interference was predicted by pain intensity, decreased social support, and resilience, whereas perceived well-being was predicted by pain interference.Conclusion: Women who had experienced a traumatic event prior to the pandemic suffered worse consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown, particularly greater pain interference, although resilience was shown to both mitigate pain interference and enhance perceived well-bein

¿Cómo contribuyen la autoestima y la inteligencia emocional en la pasión armoniosa por el aprendizaje? Un análisis incremental sobre factores sociodemográficos y ayuda percibida de compañeros/as del equipo.

Objetivos Por tanto, el objetivo de este estudio fue explorar si la autoestima y la inteligencia emocional (IE) contribuyen a una mayor pasión armoniosa controlando el efecto de potenciales variables influyentes como factores sociodemográficos y ayuda percibida por parte de los compañeros/as del grupo de trabajo. Metodología En la investigación participó una muestra total de 313 estudiantes (266 mujeres) de cuatro grados y dos posgrados de la Universidad de Málaga, de 19 a 55 años (Media: 22,59; s.d.: 4,7). En todas las asignaturas se llevó a cabo una metodología de aprendizaje basado en proyectos, con equipos de trabajo. La recogida de datos se llevó a cabo en el curso 2023/24 mediante cuestionarios de autoinforme. Los participantes cumplimentaron cuestionarios de variables sociodemográficas, ayuda percibida (emocional, instrumental e informacional), autoestima, inteligencia emocional, y pasión armoniosa; a través de una plataforma online de Google Forms. Para el análisis de datos, se llevó a cabo una regresión lineal jerárquica con pasión armoniosa como variable dependiente, incluyendo en el primer paso, los factores sociodemográficos (edad y género); en el segundo, las tres dimensiones de ayuda percibida; en el tercero, la autoestima; y en el cuarto, la inteligencia emocional. Resultados. Nuestros resultados revelaron que la edad se asoció a una mayor pasión armoniosa. La ayuda percibida (particularmente, la ayuda informacional) contribuyó con una porción significativa de la Pasión armoniosa más allá de los efectos de edad y género. La autoestima explicó un porcentaje significativo de la varianza de pasión armoniosa controlando los efectos del género, edad y ayuda percibida. Y finalmente, la IE contribuyó varianza explicativa de Pasión armoniosa controlando el efecto de edad, género, ayuda percibida y autoestima.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

ANF Therapy® for pain management. Feasibility, satisfaction, perceived symptom reduction and side effects. A real-world multisite observational study

[Purpose] Non-invasive and drug-free interventions for pain are being developed. One of them is ANF (which stands for “Amino Neuro Frequency”) Therapy®, which consists in the application of carbonized metal devices on a patient’s skin. We aimed to: 1) test perceived changes in pain intensity after ANF application, 2) record frequency and severity of side effects, 3) assess clinician and patient satisfaction, 4) explore effects on swelling and range of motion (ROM). [Participants and Methods] In this real-world multisite observational study, N=113 physical therapists in 45 countries, applied ANF to N=1,054 patients (Mage=45.2, 56.2% female) with pain complaints. Demographic data, pain intensity (NRS-11), effects of ANF on swelling and ROM, clinician and patient satisfaction and side effects were collected. [Results] Main pain locations were: low back (14.9%), knee (12.4%), neck (10%), and shoulder (9.6%). Pre-treatment pain intensity was high (Mean=7.6, SD=1.9). It significantly decreased posttreatment (Mean=3.1, SD=2.0), t(1053)=7.25, with a large effect size (Cohen’s d=2.2). Swelling decreased and ROM increased. Average satisfaction with ANF was 92/100. Patients often experienced mild side effects (42.3%): dry mouth, headache and fatigue. [Conclusion] Results show large effect sizes, high satisfaction, and mild and shortterm side effects. This is very promising but should be interpreted with caution considering the study limitations

Does Pain Catastrophizing and Distress Intolerance Mediate the Relationship Between PTSD and Prescribed Opioid Misuse in People With Chronic Noncancer Pain?

Última versión de borrador en PDFObjective: There is an ongoing debate on the use of long-term high-dose medically prescribed opioid analgesics for patients with chronic noncancer pain. Such use is elevated when there is comorbid pain and PTSD, which is quite prevalent. Therefore, it is relevant to investigate the psychological variables that may explain opioid misuse in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction effect of PTSD severity, distress intolerance, and pain catastrophizing on prescribed opioid misuse in chronic noncancer pain patients. Method: A total of 168 participants (M age = 60 years, 74% women) were assessed regarding opioid medication, pain intensity, traumatic psychological events, PTSD, distress intolerance, pain catastrophizing, and current opioid misuse. Results: Groups were formed according to the level of PTSD severity (no symptoms, moderate symptoms, and severe symptoms). Significant differences were found between the groups in pain intensity, catastrophizing, distress intolerance, and opioid misuse. The severe-symptoms group had the highest scores on all variables. There were no between-group differences in the prescribed medication. Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between PTSD severity and opioid misuse was completely and independently mediated by distress intolerance and pain catastrophizing. Conclusions: Distress intolerance and pain catastrophizing may be theoretically and clinically relevant constructs in understanding the motivation for opioid misuse in people with concurrent chronic noncancer pain and PTSD

Psychological profiles and prescription opioid misuse, craving, and withdrawal in people with chronic pain

Background. The negative consequences of prescription opioid misuse and opioid use disorder make it relevant to identify factors associated with this problem in individuals with chronic pain. This cross-sectional study aimed at identifying subgroups of people with chronic pain based on their psychological profiles, prescription opioid misuse, craving, and withdrawal. Methods. The sample comprised 185 individuals with chronic pain. We performed hierarchical cluster analysis on impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity, pain acceptance, pain intensity, opioid misuse, craving, and withdrawal. Results. The four-cluster solution was the optimal one. Misuse, craving, and anxiety sensitivity were higher among people in the Severe-problems cluster than among people in the other three clusters. Withdrawal was the highest in the High-withdrawal cluster. Impulsivity was higher among people in the Severe-problems and High-withdrawal clusters than those in the Moderate-problems and Mild-problems clusters. Pain acceptance was higher among people in the Mild-problems cluster than among people in the other three clusters. Anxiety sensitivity and misuse were higher among people in the Moderate-problems cluster than among people in the Mild-problems cluster. Conclusions. These results support that impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity, and pain acceptance are useful constructs to identify subgroups of people with chronic pain according to their level of prescription opioid misuse, craving, and withdrawal. The results of this study may help in selecting the early intervention most suitable for each of the identified profiles...Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga/CBUA. This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2019-106086RB-I00), and the Regional Government of Andalusia (HUM-566; UMA20-FEDERJA-118). Rocío de la Vega's work is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation with a Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC2018-024722-I)