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Current Pain and Headache Reports
Published in: Current Pain and Headache Reports 5/2013

01-05-2013 | Psychiatric Management of Pain (M Clark, Section Editor)

The Role of Positive Traits and Pain Catastrophizing in Pain Perception

Authors: Kim Pulvers, Anna Hood

Published in: Current Pain and Headache Reports | Issue 5/2013

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Abstract

A variety of biological, psychological, and social factors interact to influence pain. This article focuses on two distinct, but connected, psychological factors—positive personality traits and pain catastrophizing—and their link with pain perception in healthy and clinical populations. First, we review the protective link between positive personality traits, such as optimism, hope, and self-efficacy, and pain perception. Second, we provide evidence of the well-established relationship between pain catastrophizing and pain perception and other related outcomes. Third, we outline the inverse relationship between positive traits and pain catastrophizing, and offer a model that explains the inverse link between positive traits and pain perception through lower pain catastrophizing. Finally, we discuss clinical practice recommendations based on the aforementioned relationships.
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Metadata
Title
The Role of Positive Traits and Pain Catastrophizing in Pain Perception
Authors
Kim Pulvers
Anna Hood
Publication date
01-05-2013
Publisher
Current Science Inc.
Published in
Current Pain and Headache Reports / Issue 5/2013
Print ISSN: 1531-3433
Electronic ISSN: 1534-3081
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0330-2

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