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More optimism, less pain! The influence of generalized and pain-specific expectations on experienced cold-pressor pain

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Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that dispositional optimism might be a protective factor against experiencing pain. The current paper presents two studies investigating the association between dispositional optimism and experimental pain. Moreover, the influence of pain-specific expectations on this association is investigated. In Study 1, mediation of pain-specific expectations in the relation between dispositional optimism and pain was hypothesized. Expected and experienced pain ratings were obtained from 66 healthy participants undergoing a cold pressor tolerance task. In Study 2, the moderating effect of dispositional optimism on the association between induced pain expectations and pain reports was studied in 60 healthy participants undergoing a 1-min cold pressor task. Both studies controlled for individual differences in fear of pain. Significant associations between dispositional optimism and pain ratings were found in both studies, although the exact time point of these associations differed. Subscale analyses revealed that only the pessimism subscale contributed significantly to these findings. We found no evidence for hypothesized mediation and moderation effects. Alternative explanations for the optimism-pain association are discussed.

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Notes

  1. For reasons of conciseness, all analyses will be reported for the 20 s during immersion rating. Analyses with the 5 s measure did not yield significantly different results and can be obtained from the corresponding author.

  2. Bivariate correlation analyses were repeated in the group of participants who did not reach the 300 s tolerance limit and also for men and women separately, resulting in a comparable pattern of correlations. Additionally, no significant sex difference in optimism scores was found using an independent samples t test. These results indicate that maxing out the immersion time or an even sex distribution might not alter the results in a significant manner.

  3. Identical to study 1 the rating at 20 s is reported as a measure of experienced pain during the immersion. Similar results were obtained when the 40 s ratings were analyzed.

  4. Correlation analyses for the two conditions separately showed that the significance of the relations of optimism, fear of pain and pain-specific expectations with pain intensity ratings is restricted to the high pain expectations group. Coefficients for both groups separately can be obtained upon request.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Astrid Dello, Sandra Nijsten and Ina Schabram for their valuable input in these studies and for their assistance in the data collection. This study was supported by a grant from the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Marjolein M. Hanssen, Linda M. G. Vancleef, Johan W. S. Vlaeyen & Madelon L. Peters

  2. Research Group Health Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Johan W. S. Vlaeyen

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  1. Marjolein M. Hanssen
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  2. Linda M. G. Vancleef
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  3. Johan W. S. Vlaeyen
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  4. Madelon L. Peters
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Correspondence to Marjolein M. Hanssen.

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Hanssen, M.M., Vancleef, L.M.G., Vlaeyen, J.W.S. et al. More optimism, less pain! The influence of generalized and pain-specific expectations on experienced cold-pressor pain. J Behav Med 37, 47–58 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9463-8

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