The role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain.
<h4>Objective</h4>The fear-avoidance model of pain posits that a painful stimulus is interpreted through pain catastrophizing, which leads to negative downstream cognitions, emotions, and behaviors that shape the experience of pain. As dispositional mindfulness is associated with less ca...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280740 |
| _version_ | 1797938004505919488 |
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| author | Jenna M Wilson Ilana Haliwa Jerin Lee Natalie J Shook |
| author_facet | Jenna M Wilson Ilana Haliwa Jerin Lee Natalie J Shook |
| author_sort | Jenna M Wilson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Objective</h4>The fear-avoidance model of pain posits that a painful stimulus is interpreted through pain catastrophizing, which leads to negative downstream cognitions, emotions, and behaviors that shape the experience of pain. As dispositional mindfulness is associated with less catastrophizing and pain, some researchers have suggested incorporating mindfulness into the fear-avoidance model. Across two studies, we empirically tested dispositional mindfulness as a stand-alone component within the fear-avoidance model of pain.<h4>Methods</h4>Two independent, online cross-sectional surveys (Ns = 362 and 580 U.S. adults) were conducted. Participants completed validated assessments of mindfulness, pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, pain vigilance, depression, pain intensity, and pain sensitivity. Using structural equation modeling, we tested the inclusion of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain. We proposed that greater mindfulness would be associated with less pain catastrophizing, which in turn would be associated with less fear of pain, leading to less depression, and then ultimately less pain intensity and pain sensitivity.<h4>Results</h4>Across both studies, the fear-avoidance model of pain did not fit the data well, with or without mindfulness included. We found that a simplified model fit the data best (Study 1: χ2/df = 1.83; CFI = .981; RMSEA = .049, 90% CI [0.019, 0.076]; SRMR = 0.031; Study 2: χ2/df = 2.23; CFI = .976; RMSEA = .046, 90% CI [0.026, 0.067]; SRMR = .031), such that greater mindfulness was significantly associated with less pain catastrophizing and, in turn, lower levels of pain intensity and pain sensitivity.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Our findings suggest that a simplified model, compared to the traditional fear-avoidance model, may partly explain the experience of pain among individuals without chronic pain. Future work should examine the temporal associations among these variables to inform the employment of future empirically supported interventions for pain management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:53:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e956147509504f3a898a897d88f25d6b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:53:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-e956147509504f3a898a897d88f25d6b2023-02-01T05:31:32ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01181e028074010.1371/journal.pone.0280740The role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain.Jenna M WilsonIlana HaliwaJerin LeeNatalie J Shook<h4>Objective</h4>The fear-avoidance model of pain posits that a painful stimulus is interpreted through pain catastrophizing, which leads to negative downstream cognitions, emotions, and behaviors that shape the experience of pain. As dispositional mindfulness is associated with less catastrophizing and pain, some researchers have suggested incorporating mindfulness into the fear-avoidance model. Across two studies, we empirically tested dispositional mindfulness as a stand-alone component within the fear-avoidance model of pain.<h4>Methods</h4>Two independent, online cross-sectional surveys (Ns = 362 and 580 U.S. adults) were conducted. Participants completed validated assessments of mindfulness, pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, pain vigilance, depression, pain intensity, and pain sensitivity. Using structural equation modeling, we tested the inclusion of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain. We proposed that greater mindfulness would be associated with less pain catastrophizing, which in turn would be associated with less fear of pain, leading to less depression, and then ultimately less pain intensity and pain sensitivity.<h4>Results</h4>Across both studies, the fear-avoidance model of pain did not fit the data well, with or without mindfulness included. We found that a simplified model fit the data best (Study 1: χ2/df = 1.83; CFI = .981; RMSEA = .049, 90% CI [0.019, 0.076]; SRMR = 0.031; Study 2: χ2/df = 2.23; CFI = .976; RMSEA = .046, 90% CI [0.026, 0.067]; SRMR = .031), such that greater mindfulness was significantly associated with less pain catastrophizing and, in turn, lower levels of pain intensity and pain sensitivity.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Our findings suggest that a simplified model, compared to the traditional fear-avoidance model, may partly explain the experience of pain among individuals without chronic pain. Future work should examine the temporal associations among these variables to inform the employment of future empirically supported interventions for pain management.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280740 |
| spellingShingle | Jenna M Wilson Ilana Haliwa Jerin Lee Natalie J Shook The role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain. PLoS ONE |
| title | The role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain. |
| title_full | The role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain. |
| title_fullStr | The role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain. |
| title_short | The role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear-avoidance model of pain. |
| title_sort | role of dispositional mindfulness in the fear avoidance model of pain |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280740 |
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