Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation

Subhadra Evans, Laura C Seidman, Kirsten C Lung, Lonnie K Zeltzer, Jennie C TsaoPediatric Pain Program, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USABackground: Parental behaviors, emotions, and cognitions are known to influence children's respon...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Evans S, Seidman LC, Lung KC, Zeltzer LK, Tsao JC
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2013-03-01
Series:Journal of Pain Research
Online Access:http://www.dovepress.com/sex-differences-in-the-relationship-between-maternal-fear-of-pain-and--a12524
_version_ 1818348957591404544
author Evans S
Seidman LC
Lung KC
Zeltzer LK
Tsao JC
author_facet Evans S
Seidman LC
Lung KC
Zeltzer LK
Tsao JC
author_sort Evans S
collection DOAJ
description Subhadra Evans, Laura C Seidman, Kirsten C Lung, Lonnie K Zeltzer, Jennie C TsaoPediatric Pain Program, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USABackground: Parental behaviors, emotions, and cognitions are known to influence children's response to pain. However, prior work has not tested the association between maternal psychological factors and children's responses to a conditioned pain modulation (CPM) task. CPM refers to the reduction in perceived pain intensity for a test stimulus following application of a conditioning stimulus to a remote area of the body, and is thought to reflect the descending inhibition of nociceptive signals.Methods: The present study examined sex differences in the association between maternal anxiety about pain and children's CPM responses in 133 healthy children aged 8–17 years. Maternal pain anxiety was assessed using the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20. In addition to the magnitude of CPM, children's anticipatory anxiety and pain-related fear of the CPM task were measured.Results: Sequential multiple linear regression revealed that even after controlling for child age and general maternal psychological distress, greater maternal pain anxiety was significantly related to greater CPM anticipatory anxiety and pain-related fear in girls, and to less CPM (ie, less pain inhibition) in boys.Conclusion: The findings indicate sex-specific relationships between maternal pain anxiety and children's responses to a CPM task over and above that accounted for by the age of the child and the mother's general psychological distress.Keywords: diffuse noxious inhibitory controls, pediatric pain, mother-child relationship, cold pressor, pressure pain, laboratory pain
first_indexed 2024-12-13T17:58:19Z
format Article
id doaj.art-2c6af4300f9d4f68a87c099dc897e427
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1178-7090
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-13T17:58:19Z
publishDate 2013-03-01
publisher Dove Medical Press
record_format Article
series Journal of Pain Research
spelling doaj.art-2c6af4300f9d4f68a87c099dc897e4272022-12-21T23:36:17ZengDove Medical PressJournal of Pain Research1178-70902013-03-012013default231238Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulationEvans SSeidman LCLung KCZeltzer LKTsao JCSubhadra Evans, Laura C Seidman, Kirsten C Lung, Lonnie K Zeltzer, Jennie C TsaoPediatric Pain Program, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USABackground: Parental behaviors, emotions, and cognitions are known to influence children's response to pain. However, prior work has not tested the association between maternal psychological factors and children's responses to a conditioned pain modulation (CPM) task. CPM refers to the reduction in perceived pain intensity for a test stimulus following application of a conditioning stimulus to a remote area of the body, and is thought to reflect the descending inhibition of nociceptive signals.Methods: The present study examined sex differences in the association between maternal anxiety about pain and children's CPM responses in 133 healthy children aged 8–17 years. Maternal pain anxiety was assessed using the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20. In addition to the magnitude of CPM, children's anticipatory anxiety and pain-related fear of the CPM task were measured.Results: Sequential multiple linear regression revealed that even after controlling for child age and general maternal psychological distress, greater maternal pain anxiety was significantly related to greater CPM anticipatory anxiety and pain-related fear in girls, and to less CPM (ie, less pain inhibition) in boys.Conclusion: The findings indicate sex-specific relationships between maternal pain anxiety and children's responses to a CPM task over and above that accounted for by the age of the child and the mother's general psychological distress.Keywords: diffuse noxious inhibitory controls, pediatric pain, mother-child relationship, cold pressor, pressure pain, laboratory painhttp://www.dovepress.com/sex-differences-in-the-relationship-between-maternal-fear-of-pain-and--a12524
spellingShingle Evans S
Seidman LC
Lung KC
Zeltzer LK
Tsao JC
Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation
Journal of Pain Research
title Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation
title_full Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation
title_fullStr Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation
title_full_unstemmed Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation
title_short Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation
title_sort sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children amp 39 s conditioned pain modulation
url http://www.dovepress.com/sex-differences-in-the-relationship-between-maternal-fear-of-pain-and--a12524
work_keys_str_mv AT evanss sexdifferencesintherelationshipbetweenmaternalfearofpainandchildrenamp39sconditionedpainmodulation
AT seidmanlc sexdifferencesintherelationshipbetweenmaternalfearofpainandchildrenamp39sconditionedpainmodulation
AT lungkc sexdifferencesintherelationshipbetweenmaternalfearofpainandchildrenamp39sconditionedpainmodulation
AT zeltzerlk sexdifferencesintherelationshipbetweenmaternalfearofpainandchildrenamp39sconditionedpainmodulation
AT tsaojc sexdifferencesintherelationshipbetweenmaternalfearofpainandchildrenamp39sconditionedpainmodulation