Behavioral Conceptualization and Treatment of Chronic Pain

The exploration-exploitation dilemma in pain: an experimental investigation

ABSTRACT

Daily life consists of a chain of decisions. Typically, individuals may choose to pursue what they already know (exploitation) or to search for other options (exploration). This exploration-exploitation dilemma is a topic of interest across multiple scientific fields. Here we propose that investigating how individuals solve this dilemma may improve our understanding of how individuals make behavioral decisions (eg, avoidance) when facing pain. To this end, we present the data of 3 experiments in which healthy individuals were given the opportunity to choose between 4 different movements, with each movement being associated with different probabilities of receiving a painful outcome only (experiment 1) or pain and/or a reward (experiment 2). We also investigated whether participants stuck to their decisions when the contingencies between each movement and the painful/rewarding outcome changed during the task (experiment 3). The key findings across all experiments are the following: First, after initial exploration, participants most often exploited the safest option. Second, participants weighted rewards more heavily than receiving pain. Finally, after receiving a painful outcome, participants were more inclined to explore than to exploit a rewarding movement. We argue that by focusing more on how individuals in pain solve the exploration-exploitation dilemma is helpful in understanding behavioral decision making in pain.

Validation of the Short-Form Esophageal Hypervigilance and Anxiety Scale

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Esophageal hypervigilance and anxiety are emerging as important drivers of dysphagia symptoms and reduced quality of life across esophageal diagnoses. The esophageal hypervigilance and anxiety scale (EHAS) is a validated measure of these cognitive-affective processes. However, its length may preclude it from use in clinical practice. We aimed to create a short form version of the EHAS using established psychometric practices.

METHODS

A retrospective review of a registry of patients who visited a university-based esophageal motility clinic for diagnostic testing was conducted. Patients were included if they completed the 15-item EHAS and questionnaires assessing dysphagia severity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) at the time of motility testing. Principle components factor analysis identified items for possible removal. Tests for reliability and concurrent validity were performed on the full EHAS and short-form version (EHAS-7).

RESULTS

3,976 adult patients with confirmed esophageal disease were included: 30% with achalasia or EGJOO, 13% with EoE, 13% with GERD, 39% normal motility. Eight items were removed from the scale based on a factor loading of > 0.70, resulting in a single scale 7-item EHAS-7 scored from 0 to 28. The EHAS-7 demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.91) and split-half reliability (0.88) as was found in the full EHAS in the current study and prior validation. Concurrent validity existed between the EHAS-7 and measures of dysphagia (r = 0.33) and HRQOL (r = -0.73, both P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The EHAS-7 is a 7-item scale to assess esophageal hypervigilance and symptom-specific anxiety that performs as well as the original 15-item version. Shorter questionnaires allow for implementation in clinical practice. The EHAS-7 is a useful tool for clinicians to quickly assess how hypervigilance and anxiety may be contributing to their patients' clinical presentations.

Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Chronic back pain (CBP) is a leading cause of disability, and treatment is often ineffective. Approximately 85% of cases are primary CBP, for which peripheral etiology cannot be identified, and maintenance factors include fear, avoidance, and beliefs that pain indicates injury.

OBJECTIVE

To test whether a psychological treatment (pain reprocessing therapy [PRT]) aiming to shift patients' beliefs about the causes and threat value of pain provides substantial and durable pain relief from primary CBP and to investigate treatment mechanisms.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This randomized clinical trial with longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and 1-year follow-up assessment was conducted in a university research setting from November 2017 to August 2018, with 1-year follow-up completed by November 2019. Clinical and fMRI data were analyzed from January 2019 to August 2020. The study compared PRT with an open-label placebo treatment and with usual care in a community sample.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants randomized to PRT participated in 1 telehealth session with a physician and 8 psychological treatment sessions over 4 weeks. Treatment aimed to help patients reconceptualize their pain as due to nondangerous brain activity rather than peripheral tissue injury, using a combination of cognitive, somatic, and exposure-based techniques. Participants randomized to placebo received an open-label subcutaneous saline injection in the back; participants randomized to usual care continued their routine, ongoing care.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

One-week mean back pain intensity score (0 to 10) at posttreatment, pain beliefs, and fMRI measures of evoked pain and resting connectivity.

RESULTS

At baseline, 151 adults (54% female; mean [SD] age, 41.1 [15.6] years) reported mean (SD) pain of low to moderate severity (mean [SD] pain intensity, 4.10 [1.26] of 10; mean [SD] disability, 23.34 [10.12] of 100) and mean (SD) pain duration of 10.0 (8.9) years. Large group differences in pain were observed at posttreatment, with a mean (SD) pain score of 1.18 (1.24) in the PRT group, 2.84 (1.64) in the placebo group, and 3.13 (1.45) in the usual care group. Hedges g was -1.14 for PRT vs placebo and -1.74 for PRT vs usual care (P < .001). Of 151 total participants, 33 of 50 participants (66%) randomized to PRT were pain-free or nearly pain-free at posttreatment (reporting a pain intensity score of 0 or 1 of 10), compared with 10 of 51 participants (20%) randomized to placebo and 5 of 50 participants (10%) randomized to usual care. Treatment effects were maintained at 1-year follow-up, with a mean (SD) pain score of 1.51 (1.59) in the PRT group, 2.79 (1.78) in the placebo group, and 3.00 (1.77) in the usual care group. Hedges g was -0.70 for PRT vs placebo (P = .001) and -1.05 for PRT vs usual care (P < .001) at 1-year follow-up. Longitudinal fMRI showed (1) reduced responses to evoked back pain in the anterior midcingulate and the anterior prefrontal cortex for PRT vs placebo; (2) reduced responses in the anterior insula for PRT vs usual care; (3) increased resting connectivity from the anterior prefrontal cortex and the anterior insula to the primary somatosensory cortex for PRT vs both control groups; and (4) increased connectivity from the anterior midcingulate to the precuneus for PRT vs usual care.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Psychological treatment centered on changing patients' beliefs about the causes and threat value of pain may provide substantial and durable pain relief for people with CBP.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03294148.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly-Chances, Challenges, and Clinical Implications of Avoidance Research in Psychosomatic Medicine

Avoidance behaviors are shaped by associative learning processes in response to fear of impending threats, particularly physical harm. As part of a defensive repertoire, avoidance is highly adaptive in case of acute danger, serving a potent protective function. However, persistent or excessive fear and maladaptive avoidance are considered key factors in the etiology and pathophysiology of anxiety- and stress-related psychosomatic disorders. In these overlapping conditions, avoidance can increase the risk of mental comorbidities and interfere with the efficacy of cognitive behavioral treatment approaches built on fear extinction. Despite resurging interest in avoidance research also in the context of psychosomatic medicine, especially in conditions associated with pain, disturbed interoception, and disorders of the gut-brain axis, current study designs and their translation into the clinical context face significant challenges limiting both, the investigation of mechanisms involved in avoidance and the development of novel targeted treatment options. We herein selectively review the conceptual framework of learning and memory processes, emphasizing how classical and operant conditioning, fear extinction, and return of fear shape avoidance behaviors. We further discuss pathological avoidance and safety behaviors as hallmark features in psychosomatic diseases, with a focus on anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Aiming to emphasize chances of improved translational knowledge across clinical conditions, we further point out limitations in current experimental avoidance research. Based on these considerations, we propose means to improve existing avoidance paradigms to broaden our understanding of underlying mechanisms, moderators and mediators of avoidance, and to inspire tailored treatments for patients suffering from psychosomatic disorders.

The Activity Patterns Scale: An Analysis of its Construct Validity in Women With Fibromyalgia

OBJECTIVES

Avoidance, persistence, and pacing are activity patterns that have different adaptive effects in chronic pain patients. Some inconsistent findings have been explained from a contextual perspective that underlines the purpose of the activity. In this way, avoidance, persistence, and pacing are multidimensional constructs, nuanced by their goals. This multidimensionality has been supported with a new instrument, the Activity Patterns Scale, in heterogeneous chronic pain samples. Owing to the clinical implications of this conceptualization, the complexity of the activity patterns and their relationships with health outcomes in fibromyalgia (FM), our aim was to explore the construct validity of this scale in this pain problem, testing its internal structure and the relationships with other constructs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The sample included 702 women with diagnosis of FM from tertiary (53.3%) and community settings (46.7%). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test different factor structures of the activity patterns and Pearson correlation to explore the relationships with health outcomes and psychosocial variables.

RESULTS

A 6-factor structure showed acceptable fit indices (standardized root mean square residual=0.062; root mean-square error of approximation=0.066; comparative fit index=0.908). The highest significant relationships for health outcomes was between activity avoidance and FM impact (r=0.36) and excessive persistence and negative affect (r=0.41).

DISCUSSION

Avoidance and persistence activity patterns are shown as multidimensional constructs but not pacing. The ongoing pain in these women may make it difficult to regulate their activity taking into account other goals not contingent on pain fluctuations.

Indoor or outdoor? Generalization of costly pain-related avoidance behavior to conceptually related contexts

When pain persists beyond healing time and becomes a "false alarm" of bodily threat, protective strategies, such as avoidance, are no longer adaptive. More specifically, generalization of avoidance based on conceptual knowledge may contribute to chronic pain disability. Using an operant robotic-arm avoidance paradigm, healthy participants (N=50), could perform more effortful movements in the threat context (e.g. pictures of outdoor scenes) to avoid painful stimuli, whereas no pain occured in the safe context (e.g. pictures of indoor scenes). Next, we investigated avoidance generalization to conceptually related contexts (i.e. novel outdoor/indoor scenes). As expected, participants avoided more when presented with novel contexts conceptually related to the threat context than in novel exemplars of the safe context. Yet, exemplars belonging to one category (outdoor/indoor scenes) were not interchangeable; there was a generalization decrement. Posthoc analyses revealed that contingency-aware participants (n=27), but not non-aware participants (n=23), showed the avoidance generalization effect and also generalized their differential pain-expectancy and pain-related fear more to novel background scenes conceptually related to the original threat context. In contrast, the fear-potentiated startle response was not modulated by context.

Sufficient conditions for effective psychological treatment of chronic pain: a qualitative comparative analysis

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain (CP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability globally. Treatment within Western medicine is often multicomponent; the psychological element of treatment varies, yet the optimal conditions for effective reduction of pain-related outcomes remain unclear. This study used qualitative comparative analysis, a relatively new form of evidence synthesis in the field based on set theory to ascertain configurations of intervention components and processes of psychological treatment of chronic pain in adults that lead to more effective interventions. Data were extracted from 38 studies identified in a concurrent Cochrane review and were then subjected to qualitative comparative analysis. Two analyses were conducted: one to examine what is most effective for reducing disability and one to examine what is most effective for reducing distress. Analysis and comparison of the 10 treatments with best outcomes with the 10 treatments with poorest outcomes showed that interventions using graded exposure, graded exercise or behavioural rehearsal (exposure/activity), and interventions aiming to modify reinforcement contingencies (social/operant) reduced disability levels when either approach was applied but not both. Exposure/activity can improve distress levels when combined with cognitive restructuring, as long as social/operant methods are not included in treatment. Clinical implications of this study suggest that treatment components should not be assumed to be synergistic and provided in a single package.

Is Thought Management a Resource for Functioning in Women with Fibromyalgia Irrespective of Pain Levels?

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the relationship between cognitive factors (cognitive fusion and catastrophizing) and functional limitation experienced by patients with fibromyalgia across different levels of pain severity (i.e., moderation).

METHODS

The sample comprised 226 women with fibromyalgia. Their mean age was 56.91 years (standard deviation = 8.94; range = 30 to 78 years).

RESULTS

Pain severity, cognitive fusion, and all components of catastrophizing (i.e., rumination, magnification, and helplessness) contributed to greater fibromyalgia impact on functioning in the multivariate analyses (all P < 0.001). A moderation effect was also found in the relationship between cognitive fusion and fibromyalgia impact on functioning (B = -0.12, t = -2.42, P = 0.016, 95% confidence interval: -0.22 to -0.02) and between magnification and fibromyalgia impact (B = -0.37, t = -2.21, P = 0.028, 95% confidence interval: -0.69 to -0.04). This moderation was not observed for rumination and helplessness.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that in interventions to improve functioning in people with fibromyalgia, some maladaptive forms of thought management (i.e., cognitive fusion and magnification) preferably should be challenged at milder levels of pain severity. According to our findings, cognitive fusion and magnification might have less room to impact functioning at higher levels of pain severity; therefore, rumination and helplessness, which had comparable associations with functioning irrespective of pain levels, would be preferable targets in psychological interventions in patients with fibromyalgia experiencing more severe pain levels.

Cognitive-Affective Transdiagnostic Factors Associated With Vulnerability to Alcohol and Prescription Opioid Use in the Context of Pain

The use of alcohol and prescription opioids is common among people in pain and poses significant public health burdens. This review identifies factors associated with motivation to use alcohol and prescription opioids in the context of pain. Pain-relevant, cognitive-affective, transdiagnostic vulnerability factors-expectancies/motives, pain catastrophizing, pain-related anxiety, distress intolerance, anxiety sensitivity, and perceived interrelations-were selected from theoretical conceptualizations of pain and substance use. Searches conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase returned 25 studies that examined associations between identified variables of interest and the use of alcohol and prescription opioids in the context of pain. Consistent with a larger literature on pain and substance use, the studies included in this review demonstrated that people with chronic pain are motivated to use alcohol and opioids in response to negative affect and hold expectancies/motives for coping with pain. Vulnerabilities that engender difficulty managing aversive internal states (distress intolerance and anxiety sensitivity) and maladaptive responses to pain (pain-related anxiety and pain catastrophizing) also were implicated in motivation for alcohol and opioid use. Although one study found that pain-related anxiety was associated with co-use of alcohol and opioids, no studies examined simultaneous use. Future research directions that can explicate causal associations, identify patterns of alcohol and opioid co-use, clarify the role of pain in cessation processes, and inform treatment development are discussed.

Low back pain

Low back pain covers a spectrum of different types of pain (eg, nociceptive, neuropathic and nociplastic, or non-specific) that frequently overlap. The elements comprising the lumbar spine (eg, soft tissue, vertebrae, zygapophyseal and sacroiliac joints, intervertebral discs, and neurovascular structures) are prone to different stressors, and each of these, alone or in combination, can contribute to low back pain. Due to numerous factors related to low back pain, and the low specificity of imaging and diagnostic injections, diagnostic methods for this condition continue to be a subject of controversy. The biopsychosocial model posits low back pain to be a dynamic interaction between social, psychological, and biological factors that can both predispose to and result from injury, and should be considered when devising interdisciplinary treatment plans. Prevention of low back pain is recognised as a pivotal challenge in high-risk populations to help tackle high health-care costs related to therapy and rehabilitation. To a large extent, therapy depends on pain classification, and usually starts with self-care and pharmacotherapy in combination with non-pharmacological methods, such as physical therapies and psychological treatments in appropriate patients. For refractory low back pain, a wide range of non-surgical (eg, epidural steroid injections and spinal cord stimulation for neuropathic pain, and radiofrequency ablation and intra-articular steroid injections for mechanical pain) and surgical (eg, decompression for neuropathic pain, disc replacement, and fusion for mechanical causes) treatment options are available in carefully selected patients. Most treatment options address only single, solitary causes and given the complex nature of low back pain, a multimodal interdisciplinary approach is necessary. Although globally recognised as an important health and socioeconomic challenge with an expected increase in prevalence, low back pain continues to have tremendous potential for improvement in both diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. Future research on low back pain should focus on improving the accuracy and objectivity of diagnostic assessments, and devising treatment algorithms that consider unique biological, psychological, and social factors. High-quality comparative-effectiveness and randomised controlled trials with longer follow-up periods that aim to establish the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of low back pain management are warranted.

Pain psychology in the 21st century: lessons learned and moving forward

Background and aims In the spring of 2019, Professor Steven J. Linton, the founder of the Center for Health and Medical Psychology (CHAMP) at Örebro University, Sweden, formally retired. As a tribute to his scholarly work covering decades of influence and inspiration to the field of pain psychology, the research center organized a topical conference titled "Pain in the 21st century: Where do we come from and where are we going?", which resulted in this state-of the-art synthesis. The aim of this declaration is to highlight lessons learned but not in the least is meant to inspire and guide our continued journey forward, developing pain psychology into the 21st century. Methods Several collaborators of Professor Linton have summarized and reflected on the current state-of-the-art of pain psychology from the perspective of his input to the field, as well as on developments from the last years of advancements in pain psychology. Results The topics have been divided into six themed sections covering the fear avoidance model, transdiagnostics, secondary prevention, risk- and protective factors, communication and contextual factors. The sections cover a broad spectrum, from basic experimental studies, integrating emotion and motivational theories into current theoretical models, to applied research on the effect of early interventions as well as sophisticated emotion-focused treatment models for pain patients with concurrent emotional ill-health. Conclusions There have been major advancements within pain psychology research during the last decades, moving the field towards a more comprehensive picture, taking emotional and motivational aspects into account to understand pain sufferers. Although psychologically informed interventions in general mainly focus on the individual, it has been put forward that pain management is highly influenced by the surrounding environment, including communication with health care providers, and the occupational and social context. Implications Professor Steven J. Linton has been at the forefront of pain psychology research during the last decades, and inspired by his work this journey will continue into the 21st century, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the understanding and treatment for all people suffering from persistent and disabling pain.

Passive Coping Associations With Self-Esteem and Health-Related Quality of Life in Youth With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may experience chronic stress related to disease symptoms and treatment, with negative consequences to their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Lower HRQOL among pediatric patients with IBD has been associated with worse disease-related symptoms and psychological functioning, while higher HRQOL has been associated with more adaptive coping with disease symptoms and treatment. In addition, patients’ self-esteem may impact the selection and use of coping strategies through global cognitions about their abilities and perceived competence. The current study seeks to extend existing research on HRQOL in youth with IBD by examining cross-sectional associations among self-esteem and passive coping strategies. Youth ages 9–18 with IBD (n = 147) rated their HRQOL using a disease-specific measure, typical strategies used to cope with pain or GI symptoms, and their general self-esteem. Mediation analyses were performed using regression-based techniques and bootstrapping. Results indicated that greater self-esteem was positively associated with HRQOL but negatively associated with passive coping. Controlling for disease activity, age, and gender, significant indirect effects were found in the relation between self-esteem and HRQOL through passive coping. Multiple mediation analyses using the three passive coping subscales found that self-esteem was indirectly associated with HRQOL through its effects specifically on catastrophizing as a passive coping strategy. Results suggest that pediatric patients’ general self-esteem can impact their HRQOL through passive coping and specifically, maladaptive cognitions (e.g., catastrophizing). Interventions aimed at addressing both self-esteem and catastrophizing as a passive coping strategy may offer promise for improving HRQOL in youth with IBD.

Corticolimbic Circuitry in Chronic Pain Tracks Pain Intensity Relief Following Exposure In Vivo

Background

A subset of patients with chronic pain who receive exposure in vivo (EXP) treatment experience clinically relevant relief of pain intensity. Although pain relief is not an explicit therapeutic target, it is important to understand how and why this concomitant effect occurs in some patients but not others. This longitudinal study therefore aimed to characterize brain plasticity as well as to explore pretreatment factors related to pain relief.

Methods

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired in 30 patients with chronic pain. Twenty-three patients completed EXP, and 6-month follow-up data were available in 20 patients (magnetic resonance imaging data in 17 patients). Pain-free control data were acquired at two time points (n = 29, n = 21). Seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analyses were performed, with seeds in the amygdala, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens.

Results

Pain relief after EXP was highly variable, with 60% of patients reporting a clinically relevant improvement. Amygdala rsFC with the middle frontal gyrus decreased significantly over time in patients but was not associated with pain relief. In contrast, greater pain relief was associated with greater decreases over time in hippocampus rsFC with the precuneus, which was related to reductions in catastrophizing (EXP therapeutic target) as well. Greater pain relief was also associated with lower pretreatment rsFC between nucleus accumbens and postcentral gyrus.

Conclusions

While changes in hippocampus rsFC were associated with pain relief after EXP, pretreatment nucleus accumbens rsFC showed potential prognostic value. Our findings further support the importance of corticolimbic circuitry in chronic pain, emphasizing its relation to pain relief and identifying potential underlying mechanisms and prognostic factors, warranting further testing in independent samples.

Avoidance behaviour performed in the context of a novel, ambiguous movement increases threat and pain-related fear

ABSTRACT

The fear-avoidance model of chronic pain predicts that catastrophic (mis)interpretation of pain elicits pain-related fear that in turn may spur avoidance behaviour leading to chronic pain disability. Here, we investigated whether performing a movement to avoid a painful stimulus in the context of a novel movement increases threat and pain-related fear towards this novel movement and whether avoidance behaviour persisted when given the choice between performing the acquired movement to avoid a painful stimulus or an alternative, novel movement. Applying a robotic arm-reaching task, participants could choose between 2 movements to reach a target location: a short, but painful movement trajectory, or a longer nonpainful movement trajectory. After avoidance acquisition, the option to choose the painful trajectory was removed. The experimental group (N = 50) could choose between the longest trajectory or a novel intermediate trajectory, whereas the control group (N = 50) was allowed to only perform the novel trajectory. In a final test, participants of both groups were allowed to choose any of the 3 trajectories. After acquisition, experimental group participants showed elevated pain expectancy and pain-related fear towards the novel trajectory, compared with the control group. During test, the experimental group participants persisted in performing the longest pain-free (avoidance) trajectory and were less likely to choose the novel trajectory. In addition, these participants maintained higher levels of pain-related fear for the novel trajectory compared with the control group. These findings suggest that avoidance in the context of other neutral activities/movements may lead to the development and maintenance of threat appraisals and irrational fears.

Activity Patterns and Functioning. A Contextual-Functional Approach to Pain Catastrophizing in Women with Fibromyalgia

Background: The psychological flexibility model states that activity patterns are not deemed to be intrinsically functional or dysfunctional; it is considered that underlying factors, such as personal goals and contextual factors, are what will determine their effects on disability. Pain catastrophizing has frequently been associated with several important pain-related outcomes. Despite its recent conceptualization within affective–motivational approaches, its moderating role between activity patterns and dysfunction has not been analyzed. Methods: This study analyzes the moderating role of pain catastrophizing and its dimensions (Pain Catastrophizing Scale) between activity patterns (Activity Patterns Scale) and disease impact (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire—Revised) in 491 women with fibromyalgia. Results: Activity avoidance (p < 0.001), excessive persistence (p < 0.001) and pacing (p < 0.01) patterns were positively associated with fibromyalgia impact. Helplessness shows a moderating role between pain avoidance (B = 0.100, t =2.30, p = 0.021, [0.01, 0.18]), excessive persistence (B = −0.09, t = −2.24, p = 0.02, [−0.18, −0.01]), pain persistence (B = −0.10, t = −2.04, p = 0.04, [−0.19, −0.004]) and functioning. Conclusion: Helplessness (within pain catastrophizing) is a relevant variable within psychological flexibility models applied to activity patterns. Specifically, pain avoidance is especially dysfunctional in patients with high helplessness. To improve excessive persistence and pain persistence, it is necessary to reduce helplessness before regulating activity patterns.

Associative learning and extinction of conditioned threat predictors across sensory modalities

The formation and persistence of negative pain-related expectations by classical conditioning remain incompletely understood. We elucidated behavioural and neural correlates involved in the acquisition and extinction of negative expectations towards different threats across sensory modalities. In two complementary functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in healthy humans, differential conditioning paradigms combined interoceptive visceral pain with somatic pain (study 1) and aversive tone (study 2) as exteroceptive threats. Conditioned responses to interoceptive threat predictors were enhanced in both studies, consistently involving the insula and cingulate cortex. Interoceptive threats had a greater impact on extinction efficacy, resulting in disruption of ongoing extinction (study 1), and selective resurgence of interoceptive CS-US associations after complete extinction (study 2). In the face of multiple threats, we preferentially learn, store, and remember interoceptive danger signals. As key mediators of nocebo effects, conditioned responses may be particularly relevant to clinical conditions involving disturbed interoception and chronic visceral pain.

Efficacy of the iDBT-Pain skills training intervention to reduce emotional dysregulation and pain intensity in people with chronic pain: protocol for a single-case experimental design with multiple baselines

INTRODUCTION

Difficulties in emotional regulation are key to the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Recent evidence shows internet-delivered dialectic behaviour therapy (iDBT) skills training can reduce emotional dysregulation and pain intensity. However, further studies are needed to provide more definitive evidence regarding the efficacy of iDBT skills training in the chronic pain population.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A single-case experimental design (SCED) with multiple baselines will be used to examine the efficacy of a 4-week iDBT-Pain skills training intervention (iDBT-Pain intervention) to reduce emotional dysregulation and pain intensity in individuals with chronic pain. The iDBT-Pain intervention encompasses two components: (1) iDBT-Pain skills training sessions (iDBT-Pain sessions) and (2) the iDBT-Pain skills training web application (iDBT-Pain app). Three individuals with chronic pain will be recruited and randomly allocated to different baseline phases (5, 9 or 12 days). Following the baseline phase, participants will receive six 60-90 min iDBT-Pain sessions approximately 4 or 5 days apart, delivered by a psychologist via Zoom. To reinforce learnings from the iDBT-Pain sessions, participants will have unlimited use of the iDBT-Pain app. A 7-day follow-up phase (maintenance) will follow the intervention, whereby the iDBT-Pain sessions cease but the iDBT-Pain app is accessible. Emotional regulation, as the primary outcome measure, will be assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Pain intensity, as the secondary outcome measure, will be assessed using a visual analogue scale. Generalisation measures will assess psychological state factors (depression, anxiety and coping behaviour), alongside sleep quality, well-being and harm avoidance. SCEDs are increasingly considered effective designs for internet-delivered psychological interventions because SCED enables the investigation of interindividual variability in a heterogeneous population such as chronic pain.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This trial was approved by the University of New South Wales (HC200199). Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ACTRN12620000604909.

Human social defeat and approach-avoidance: Escalating social-evaluative threat and threat of aggression increases social avoidance

Basic research on avoidance by Murray Sidman laid the foundation for advances in the classification, conceptualization and treatment of avoidance in psychological disorders. Contemporary avoidance research is explicitly translational and increasingly focused on how competing appetitive and aversive contingencies influence avoidance. In this laboratory investigation, we examined the effects of escalating social-evaluative threat and threat of social aggression on avoidance of social interactions. During social-defeat learning, 38 adults learned to associate 9 virtual peers with an increasing probability of receiving negative evaluations. Additionally, 1 virtual peer was associated with positive evaluations. Next, in an approach-avoidance task with social-evaluative threat, 1 peer associated with negative evaluations was presented alongside the peer associated with positive evaluations. Approaching peers produced a positive or a probabilistic negative evaluation, while avoiding peers prevented a negative evaluation (and forfeited a positive evaluation). In an approach-avoidance task with social aggression, virtual peers gave and took money away from participants. Escalating social-evaluative threat and aggression increased avoidance, ratings of feeling threatened and threat expectancy and decreased ratings of peer favorableness. These findings underscore the potential of coupling social defeat and approach-avoidance paradigms for translational research on the neurobehavioral mechanisms of social approach-avoidance decision-making and anxiety.

An Experimental Analogue Study on the "Dose-Response Relationship" of Different Therapeutic Instructions for Pain Exposures: The More, The Better?

Objective

Novel suggestions derived from the inhibitory learning model on how to optimize exposure therapy have been debated with enthusiasm in the last few years, particularly with respect to the focus on expectancy violations. However, little is known about how this new approach directly compares to the traditional habituation rationale of exposure therapy. In the present study, we examined these two competing therapeutic instructions among healthy female participants in an experimental heat pain paradigm.

Design and Methods

Participants (N= 116) received a therapeutic instruction derived from either a habituation-based approach or the inhibitory learning model (expectation violation). Participants were repeatedly exposed to painful thermal stimulations until a predefined exposure goal was reached.

Results

The expectation violation instruction led to faster goal attainment and higher response rates than the habituation instruction. Both instructions led to increased pain tolerance in the short and long term (one-week follow-up).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that exposure treatments using an expectation violation instruction are especially time-effective. Although the findings from this analogue design cannot be directly generalized to populations with clinically relevant levels of chronic pain, they do point to some important theoretical and clinical implications for the treatment of pain.

Perfectionism and Pain Intensity in Women with Fibromyalgia: Its Influence on Activity Avoidance from The Contextual Perspective

Given the scarcity of studies regarding perfectionism from a contextual perspective, this study aims to analyze its role in the relationship between pain and activity avoidance and its differential effect among patients with different fibromyalgia severity. A cross-sectional study with 228 women with fibromyalgia classified into two disease severity groups (low/moderate vs. high) was carried out. Moderation analyses were conducted; perfectionism was used as moderator, pain (in high and low pain situations) as independent variable, and activity avoidance as the outcome. Among the high disease severity group, analyses showed direct contributions of perfectionism (p < 0.001) but not of pain (p > 0.05); moderation effects were found in high pain situations (p = 0.002) (for low levels of perfectionism, a positive association was found between pain intensity and avoidance). Among the low severity group, direct effects of perfectionism (p < 0.05) and pain intensity (p = 0.04) were found (although the latter only for high pain situations); moderation effects were found in high pain situations (p = 0.018) (for high levels of perfectionism a positive and significant association was found between pain intensity and avoidance). Perfectionism has been found to be a key variable in the differential relationship between pain intensity (in high pain situations) and activity avoidance in groups with high and low disease severity.

Exploring the contextual role of pain severity as a moderator of the relationship between activity patterns and the physical and mental functioning of women with fibromyalgia

INTRODUCTION

In past years, and mostly due to contextual psychological therapies, it has been argued that particular behavioural patterns may be useful in certain contexts, but not in others. The goal of this study has been to explore whether pain severity is indeed a contextual factor influencing the relationship between two controversial activity patterns, namely pacing and persistence, and functionality in people with fibromyalgia.

METHODS

Participants were 231 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia. A multivariate regression was conducted to explore the moderating role of pain severity in the relationship between activity patterns and outcomes (i.e. fibromyalgia impact and depressive symptoms).

RESULTS

Excessive persistence (interaction: t = -2.45, p = 0.015) and pain-contingent persistence (interaction: t= -2.13, p = 0.034) were more strongly associated with fibromyalgia impact when people experienced less severe pain. Pacing for pain reduction was only significantly related to depressive symptoms at very severe (M = 10) pain levels (interaction: β= -0.18, t= -2.73).

CONCLUSIONS

The results here reported suggest that the context in which behaviour occurs is relevant when the utility of certain behaviour patterns is considered. The clinical implications of this are clear, as it would justify adapting the recommendations given to patients according to their pain severity status.

SIGNIFICANCE

This manuscript shows that some activity patterns (i.e. pacing to conserve energy for valued activities) might be advisable regardless of pain levels. Conversely, some patterns might be especially recommended (i.e. pain-reduction pacing) or inadvisable (i.e. excessive and pain-contingent persistence) depending on pain levels (i.e. severe and mild pain, respectively).

Pain Catastrophizing in Older Adults with Chronic Pain: The Mediator Effect of Mood Using a Path Analysis Approach

Cognitive models of pain propose that catastrophic thinking is negatively associated with chronic pain. However, pain catastrophizing is a complex phenomenon requiring a multivariate examination. This study estimates the effects of mood variables (anxiety and depression) on pain catastrophizing in older adults with chronic pain. A postal survey addressing pain aspects was sent to 6611 people ≥ 65 years old living in south-eastern Sweden. Pain catastrophizing was measured using the pain catastrophizing scale. Anxiety and depression were assessed using two subscales of the general well-being schedule. Data were analysed using a path analysis approach. A total of 2790 respondents (76.2 ± 7.4 years old) reported chronic pain (≥three months). The mediation model accounted for 16.3% of anxiety, 17.1% of depression, and 30.9% of pain catastrophizing variances. Pain intensity, insomnia, number of comorbidities, and lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and weight) significantly affected both pain catastrophizing and mood. Anxiety (standardized path coefficient (b_std) = 0.324, p < 0.001) in comparison to depression (b_std = 0.125, p < 0.001) had a greater effect on pain catastrophizing. Mood mediated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and pain-related factors accounting for lifestyle and sociodemographic factors.

Associations of Cognitive Fusion and Pain Catastrophizing with Fibromyalgia Impact through Fatigue, Pain Severity, and Depression: An Exploratory Study Using Structural Equation Modeling

Differences in fibromyalgia impact on functioning exist and appear to be influenced by numerous factors, including symptomatology severity, as well as the cognitive profile of the individual. The contribution of these elements, however, tends to be explored in a fragmented manner. To address this issue, we tested a comprehensive structural equation model in which associations of cognitive fusion and pain catastrophizing with function limitations are investigated through fibromyalgia symptomatology (i.e., fatigue, pain severity, and depression) in 231 women with fibromyalgia. In the model, cognitive fusion and two catastrophizing components (magnification and helplessness) were associated with poorer functioning indirectly through fibromyalgia symptomatology. Only the rumination component of catastrophizing had a direct association with functional limitations. All fibromyalgia symptoms were linked to increased functional limitations. A parsimonious model with significant associations only obtained an excellent fit (S-B χ² = 774.191, df = 543, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.943; RMSEA = 0.043; CAIC = −2724.04) and accounted for 50% of the variance of functional limitations. These results suggest that the relationship between psychological cognitive processes, fibromyalgia symptomatology, and functional limitations is complex and support the need for comprehensive models such as the present. The findings are discussed in the context of personalized psychological treatments (i.e., the need to address certain cognitive processes according to the problematic symptomatology or outcome).