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Boerner KE, Keogh E, Inkster AM, Nahman-Averbuch H, Oberlander TF. A developmental framework for understanding the influence of sex and gender on health: Pediatric pain as an exemplar. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 158:105546. [PMID: 38272336 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Sex differences are a robust finding in many areas of adult health, including cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, and chronic pain. However, many sex differences are not consistently observed until after the onset of puberty. This has led to the hypothesis that hormones are primary contributors to sex differences in health outcomes, largely ignoring the relative contributions of early developmental influences, emerging psychosocial factors, gender, and the interaction between these variables. In this paper, we argue that a comprehensive understanding of sex and gender contributions to health outcomes should start as early as conception and take an iterative biopsychosocial-developmental perspective that considers intersecting social positions. We present a conceptual framework, informed by a review of the literature in basic, clinical, and social science that captures how critical developmental stages for both sex and gender can affect children's health and longer-term outcomes. The literature on pediatric chronic pain is used as a worked example of how the framework can be applied to understanding different chronic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelynn E Boerner
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Edmund Keogh
- Department of Psychology & Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Amy M Inkster
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hadas Nahman-Averbuch
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tim F Oberlander
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Zhang M, Lin X, Zhi Y, Mu Y, Kong Y. The dual facilitatory and inhibitory effects of social pain on physical pain perception. iScience 2024; 27:108951. [PMID: 38323007 PMCID: PMC10844037 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Pain is a multi-dimensional phenomenon that encompasses both physical pain experienced physiologically and social pain experienced emotionally. The interactions between them are thought to lead to increased pain load. However, the effect of social pain on physical pain perception during interactions remains unclear. Four experiments were conducted merging physical and social pains to examine the behavioral pattern and neural mechanism of the effect of social pain on physical pain perception. Seemingly paradoxical effects of social pain were observed, which both facilitated and inhibited physical pain perception under different attention orientations. Brain imaging revealed that the posterior insula encoded the facilitatory effect, whereas the frontal pole engaged in the inhibitory effect. At a higher level, the thalamus further modulated both processes, playing a switch-like role under different concern statuses of social pain. These results provide direct evidence for the dual-pathway mechanism of the effect of social pain on physical pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaomin Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yongkang Zhi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yan Mu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yazhuo Kong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
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Balters S, Foland-Ross LC, Bruno J, Periyakoil VS, Valantine H, Reiss AL. Neural responses to gender-based microaggressions in academic medicine. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:1803-1813. [PMID: 37654210 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Gender-based microaggressions have been associated with persistent disparities between women and men in academia. Little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying those often subtle and unintentional yet detrimental behaviors. Here, we assessed the neural responses to gender-based microaggressions in 28 early career faculty in medicine (N = 16 female, N = 12 male sex) using fMRI. Participants watched 33 videos of situations demonstrating gender-based microaggressions and control situations in academic medicine. Video topics had been previously identified through real-life anecdotes about microaggression from women faculty and were scripted and reenacted using professional actors. Primary voxel-wise analyses comparing group differences in activation elucidated a significant group by condition interaction in a right-lateralized cluster across the frontal (inferior and middle frontal gyri, frontal pole, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus) and parietal lobes (supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus). Whereas women faculty exhibited reduced activation in these regions during the microaggression relative to the control condition, the opposite was true for men. Posthoc analyses showed that these patterns were significantly associated with the degree to which participants reported feeling judged for their gender in academic medicine. Lastly, secondary exploratory ROI analyses showed significant between-group differences in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus. Women activated these two regions less in the microaggression condition compared to the control condition, whereas men did not. These findings indicate that the observation of gender-based microaggressions results in a specific pattern of neural reactivity in women early career faculty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Balters
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Lara C Foland-Ross
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jennifer Bruno
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Vyjeyanthi S Periyakoil
- Department of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Hannah Valantine
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Allan L Reiss
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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Zhang M, Zhang Y, Zhu Y, Lin X, Zhi Y, Zhu Y, Shi C, Kong Y. Stigmatized experience is associated with exacerbated pain perception in depressed patients. Behav Res Ther 2023; 161:104252. [PMID: 36645948 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Patients with depression not only have to cope with depressive and physical symptoms but also face stigmatization due to mental illness. Pain is a clinical symptom of many patients with depression. However, it is unclear whether stigmatized experience associated with mental illness directly affects depressed patients' pain perception. Here, using the event reflection task, Study 1 (N = 95) examined whether stigmatized experiences due to depression would affect patients' self-reported pain assessment. Study 2 (N = 43) further employed thermal stimuli at different intensities to examine whether stigmatization would affect patients' evoked pain. We found that patients with depression who experienced stigmatization based on mental illness reported higher pain catastrophizing and performed increased pain perception for noxious stimuli than those who did not. Our studies provide first-hand experimental evidence of the effect of stigmatized experiences on depressed patients' pain perception. The findings contribute insights for improving clinical treatment, suggesting that interventions should minimize stigmatization associated with mental illness to help patients maintain healthier physical and psychological states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuqi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yue Zhu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Beijing, 100191, China; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Xiaomin Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yongkang Zhi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yupu Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chuan Shi
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Beijing, 100191, China; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China.
| | - Yazhuo Kong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
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Zhang M, Yang Z, Zhong J, Zhang Y, Lin X, Wang J, Cai H, Kong Y. The analgesic effect of nostalgia elicited by idiographic and nomothetic approaches on thermal stimulus. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1517:167-175. [PMID: 36135942 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Nostalgia is shown to relieve an individual's perception of pain evoked by cold water, pressure, and thermal stimuli. However, there is no direct evidence to show the analgesic effects of different nostalgia-inducing methods on various stimulus intensities. We conducted two studies to examine the analgesic effect, at different pain intensities, after inducing nostalgia either idiographically or nomothetically. Study 1 (N = 118) induced nostalgia through an idiographic approach (i.e., event reflection task) and found that nostalgia relieved both high and low thermal pain. Study 2 (N = 66) induced nostalgia through a nomothetic approach (i.e., viewing nostalgic pictures) and found that nostalgia relieved low but not high thermal pain. The findings verify the analgesic effect of nostalgia on thermal pain and suggest the potential moderating role of the nostalgia induction approach and pain intensity. Practically, these findings have implications for using nostalgia as a nonpharmacological treatment for pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ziyan Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiahui Zhong
- Research Centre of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Yuqi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomin Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiyuan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huajian Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yazhuo Kong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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