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01-06-2007

Attentional Strategy Moderates Effects of Pain Catastrophizing on Symptom-Specific Physiological Responses in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients

Authors: Phillip J. Quartana, John W. Burns, Kenneth R. Lofland

Published in: Journal of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 3/2007

Abstract

In the present study, we examined whether experimentally-manipulated attentional strategies moderated relations between pain catastrophizing and symptom-specific physiological responses to a cold-pressor task among sixty-eight chronic low back patients. Patients completed measures of pain catastrophizing and depression, and were randomly assigned to sensory focus, distraction or suppression conditions during a cold pressor. Lumbar paraspinal and trapezius EMG, and cardiovascular responses to the cold pressor were assessed. Attentional strategies moderated the relation between pain catastrophizing and lumbar paraspinal muscle, but not trapezius muscle or cardiovascular responses. Only for participants in the suppression condition was catastrophizing related significantly to lumbar paraspinal muscle responses. Depressed affect did not account for this relation. These findings indicate that ‘symptom-specific’ responses among pain catastrophizers with chronic low back depend on how they attend to pain-related information. Specifically, it appears that efforts to suppress awareness of pain exaggerate muscular responses near the site of injury.

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Title: Attentional Strategy Moderates Effects of Pain Catastrophizing on Symptom-Specific Physiological Responses in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients
Authors: Phillip J. Quartana
John W. Burns
Kenneth R. Lofland
Publication date: 01-06-2007
Publisher: Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers
Published in: Journal of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 3/2007
Print ISSN: 0160-7715
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3521
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-007-9101-z

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