An experimental investigation of the relation between catastrophizing and activity intolerance

Abstract

The present study examined the value of a measure of catastrophizing as a predictor of activity intolerance in response to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). A sample of 50 (17 men, 33 women) sedentary undergraduates participated in an exercise protocol designed to induce muscle soreness and were asked to return 2 days later to perform the same physical maneuvers. Participants performed five strength exercises that emphasized the eccentric component of the muscle contraction in order to induce DOMS. Dependent variables of interest were the proportion reduction in total weight lifted, and the number of repetitions. Analyses revealed that catastrophizing, assessed prior to the first exercise bout, was significantly correlated with negative mood, pain and with reduction in weight lifted. Regression analyses revealed that catastrophizing predicted reductions in weight lifted even after controlling for pain and negative mood. These findings extend previous research in demonstrating that catastrophizing is associated with objective indices of activity intolerance associated with pain. Implications of these findings for understanding pain-related disability are addressed.

A conditional process model of the effect of mindfulness on 800-m personal best times through pain catastrophising

“…Pain catastrophizing is evident in athletic populations (Deroche, Woodman, Stephan, Brewer, & Le Scanff, 2011;Sullivan et al, 2000a;Sullivan et al, 2002). The athletes from these studies were not injured, ill, or referred to any chronic pain clinics catastrophize over pain (real or anticipated).…”

An Experimental Approach to Examining Psychological Contributions to Multisite Musculoskeletal Pain

“…Volitional fatigue was defined as the point at which the participant could no longer control the descent of the weight 28 . For each participant the relative intensity of the final set of repetitions was 80% of the estimated repetition max, which is defined as the amount of weight a person could only lift one time 54 .…”

Coping Predictors of Children’s Laboratory-Induced Pain Tolerance, Intensity, and Unpleasantness

“…Overwhelming evidence suggest that behavioral and cognitive distraction copings are associated with reduced pain, 1,5,6,19 whereas catastrophizing is associated with increased pain. 17,28,29 Some preliminary evidence suggests that positive selfstatements, which represent an active strategy of affirming "everything will be ok" was associated with less pain among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis 32 ; seeking emotional support, which might represent a passive strategy for attempting to get sympathy by amplifying pain or worries, 36 was associated with higher headache severity in schoolchildren 1 and higher emotional distress in children experiencing pain associated with rheumatologic diseases. 35 Mixed findings have been reported for information seeking, problem solving, 1,33 and externalizing.…”