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Attention to pain and fear of pain in patients with chronic pain

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Abstract

To investigate how acceptance of illness affects chronic pain in terms of attention towards pain and fearful thinking of pain. 62 participants (50 women) with chronic pain carried a palmtop computer for 2 weeks. Eight times each day auditory signals were delivered to cue participants to complete questions about their experience. Multilevel analyses indicated that on moments with more intense pain, more fearful thinking about pain, and less positive emotions, attention to pain was increased. Illness acceptance did not moderate the relation between pain intensity and attention to pain. Results further indicated that on moments with more intense pain, more negative emotions, and less positive emotions, fearful thinking about pain was increased. Of particular interest was the finding that the relationship between pain intensity and fearful thinking about pain was less strong for those high in acceptance. Pain captures attention and elicits fearful thinking about pain. Acceptance may be a useful avenue to lower negative thinking about pain, and to increase well-being in patients with chronic illnesses.

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Notes

  1. Separate analyses with each item of the fearful thinking about pain scale revealed similar effects as the analyses with the two items aggregated.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a research grant from the Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders (Belgium).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, H. Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Geert Crombez, Ilse Viane & Liesbet Goubert

  2. Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Christopher Eccleston

  3. Department of Anesthesia, Pain Clinic, University Hospital of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium

    Jacques Devulder

Authors
  1. Geert Crombez
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  2. Ilse Viane
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  3. Christopher Eccleston
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  4. Jacques Devulder
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  5. Liesbet Goubert
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Correspondence to Geert Crombez.

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Crombez, G., Viane, I., Eccleston, C. et al. Attention to pain and fear of pain in patients with chronic pain. J Behav Med 36, 371–378 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9433-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9433-1

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