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Background: Previous studies found evidence that dispositional optimism is related to lower pain sensitivity. Recent findings suggest that temporarily increasing optimism by means of imagining a positive future may also have pain-alleviating effects., Objectives: The present experiment was designed to investigate conditioned pain modulation (CPM) as a potential underlying mechanism of this pain-alleviating effect of induced optimism., Methods: For this purpose, 45 healthy participants were randomized into an optimistic or neutral imagery condition. Additionally, participants completed questionnaires on dispositional optimism, pain catastrophizing and pain expectations. CPM was assessed by delivering a series of five heat pain stimuli on the nondominant hand before and during immersion of the dominant hand in water of 5°C for 70 s., Results: A clear CPM effect was found, that is heat pain reports were lower during simultaneous cold water stimulation. Although the optimism manipulation successfully increased optimism, it did not affect pain ratings or CPM. Post hoc analyses indicated that dispositional optimism was not associated with the magnitude of CPM, but pain catastrophizing and pain expectations did significantly correlate with the CPM effect., Conclusion: Pain-specific but not general cognitions appear to influence endogenous pain modulation., Significance: Conditioned pain modulation is not the underlying mechanism of the pain-alleviating effects of induced optimism. However, pain-specific cognitions including pain catastrophizing and pain expectations affect endogenous pain modulation which should be taken into account in treatment and CPM research., (© 2018 The Authors. European Journal of Pain published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Pain Federation - EFIC®.)

Objective: To examine the time course and predictors of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in breast cancer survivors over a period of 18 months after initial surgery., Methods: Breast cancer patients (n = 267) were followed until 18 months after primary breast surgery. Shortly after surgery, participants completed the Life Orientation Test-Revised to measure optimism and the Concerns about Recurrence Scale to measure FCR. Mixed regression analysis was performed with age, optimism, marital status, education, type of surgery, with or without lymphectomy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or radiotherapy, time since surgery, and all interactions with time as predictors of FCR., Results: The final model included a significant interaction between age and time since surgery and a main effect for optimism., Conclusion: These results suggest that the course of FCR depends on the age of breast cancer survivors. Younger survivors showed an increase of fear during the first 1.5 years after breast surgery, whereas older survivors showed stable levels during the first 6 months after which it declined. Also, less optimistic survivors reported higher levels of FCR. Health care providers should pay (extra) attention to FCR in younger and less optimistic patients and offer psychological help when needed., (Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The aim of the present study was to compare the subjectively reported and objectively assessed activity-related characteristics of patients with Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) who were classified according to their scores on the Patterns of Activity Measure-Pain (POAM-P) into avoiders, persisters, mixed performers (i.e. high scores on both avoidance and persistence behaviour) or functional performers (i.e. low scores on avoidance and persistence behaviour). Patients carried an electronic diary during 14 days to assess the self-reported activity and pain intensity levels in daily life. An accelerometer was used to objectively assess their activity level during the same time period. Results were available for 79 patients. Avoiders, persisters and mixed performers showed a higher level of self-reported disability than functional performers. Avoiders were characterized by a low level of self-reported habitual activities and persisters by long objectively measured daily uptime. The objectively assessed level of physical activity did not differ between the four groups. A further analysis tested the association between pain intensity levels and self-reported and objectively assessed daily life activity levels in avoiders and persisters. In persisters, a higher level of self-reported activities in daily life was related to increased pain. The objectively assessed activity level was not associated with pain intensity., (Copyright © 2010 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study examines the changes in self-perception during resolution of an acutely painful neck injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident. We tested predictions from self-discrepancy theory and a model of self-pain enmeshment. Measures of discrepancy between the current (actual) self and both the ideal and feared-for self were predicted to remain stable over a 21-day recovery period whereas a measure of enmeshment was predicted to decrease as pain resolved. We also examined the relationship between daily ratings of achievement in several domains and participants perceived ideal performance. Sixty patients with possible acute neck injury recruited within 1 month after a motor vehicle accident gave consent and data were obtained from 42 participants. Standard questionnaire measures of pain, disability, fear of movement, pain catastrophizing and self-discrepancies, self-pain enmeshment and data from diaries (measures of pain, mood, self-discrepancies, pain catastrophizing and fear of movement) were obtained. In general the relationships between the measures of self-discrepancy and enmeshment and mood were in accord with both theoretical predictions and previous observations. Resolution of pain was associated with a reduction in enmeshment but not to change in self-discrepancy. Multilevel analyses of the diary data showed that concordance between actual and ideal performance increased over the 21 days of data collection. These data provide preliminary support for aspects of self-discrepancy theory and the self-pain enmeshment model., (Copyright © 2010 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)