Assessment of psychological pain management techniques: a comparative study between athletes and non-athletes

Azevedo, Daniel Câmara; Samulski, Dietmar Martin

doi:10.1590/s1517-86922003000400003

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…These observations have been confirmed by other studies [2,11,12]. According to Azevedo and Samulski [13], athletes who developed effective strategies of coping with stress tolerate much higher levels of pain in comparison with non-athletes. In our study, the results obtained by the selected group of combat athletes clearly demonstrated differences in pain thresholds and pain tolerance between this group and non-athletes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Sensitivity to pain and strategies of coping with stress in combat athletes

Leźnicka¹,

Starkowska²,

Lulinska³

et al. 2017

BJHPA

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Background: The aim of the study was to assess the perception of pain (threshold and tolerance to pain of the combat athletes in comparison to those not practicing any sport and checking whether there is a correlation between the pain perception and strategies for coping with stress in both studied groups.Material/Methods: The study was conducted on 273 healthy men. The test group consisted of 203 athletes; the control group consisted of 70 students from the Faculty of Physical Culture, University of Szczecin. The test of the threshold and pain tolerance was performed using an algometer manufactured by Quirumed Company. To assess strategies of coping with stress, the Inventory Measuring Coping Skills -Mini-Cope was used.Results: Thetestresultsoffeelingpainatrestshowedthattheathletesachievedsignificantlyhigher threshold and pain tolerance compared to non-athletes. Combat athletes often deal with the problem in a proactive manner.Conclusions: Compared to the control group, athletes have less sensitivity to pain. Compared with nonathletes, athletes are more likely to cope with stress in an active way and reveal stronger tendency to see positive sides of a problem.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Sensitivity to pain and strategies of coping with stress in combat athletes

Leźnicka¹,

Starkowska²,

Lulinska³

et al. 2017

BJHPA

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“…Thus, ER may be more common in athletes than in non‐athletes. Indeed, one study indicates that athletes tend to ignore pain more than non‐athletes (Ghazaie, Tajikzadeh, Sadeghi, & Saatchi, ), while another study did not show such differences (Azevedo & Samulski, ). However, just like in the general population, ER in athletes may be dysfunctional in the context of LBP.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological pain responses in athletes and non‐athletes with low back pain: Avoidance and endurance matter

Gajsar

Titze

Levenig

et al. 2019

European Journal of Pain

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Background Dysfunctional psychological pain responses, namely fear‐avoidance (FAR), including catastrophizing and helplessness, as well as endurance‐related responses (ER), including thought suppression and overactivity, have been shown to be risk factors for persistent low back pain (LBP). Literature suggests that athletes may differ from non‐athletes regarding psychological responses to pain. Objectives This study set out to compare FAR and ER between athletes and non‐athletes with LBP. It was hypothesized that athletes would report less frequent FAR and more frequent ER, and that both FAR and ER are associated with LBP intensity and disability. Methods The 173 athletes and 93 non‐athletes cross‐sectionally reported how frequently they employ FAR and ER on the Avoidance‐Endurance Questionnaire (AEQ), as well as LBP intensity and disability on the Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire (CPGS). MANOVA was applied to compare FAR and ER between athletes and non‐athletes. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models were used to determine the unique associations between FAR and ER with LBP intensity and disability. Results Athletes reported lower frequencies of behavioural avoidance than non‐athletes, but no other FAR variables differed between the groups. Frequencies of ER did not differ between athletes and non‐athletes. Regression analysis indicated substantial associations of FAR with LBP intensity, as well as of FAR and ER with disability in athletes and non‐athletes. Conclusions The results of the present study suggest that athletes and non‐athletes with LBP differ regarding behavioural avoidance, but overall, differences regarding pain responses are marginal. FAR and ER are both reported in athletes and non‐athletes and contribute to disability in both groups. Significance Athletes train to endure pain in the course of athletic socialization, at least in the context of exercise. However, there is sparsity of knowledge about psychological pain responses in athletes with low back pain and whether they differ from those in non‐athletes. The results of this comparative study suggest that endurance responses are more frequent than avoidance responses among athletes and non‐athletes alike. However, both types of responses seem relevant to clinical pain management in athletes as well as non‐athletes.

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“…In terms of prevention, education and treatment, cutoff scores can be used to determine which athletes may need a special kind of pain management. To deal with stress, motivational self-statements and regulation of body tension through relaxation were shown to be commonly functional coping strategies in athletes with acute pain (Azevedo & Samulski, 2003). Moreover, acceptanceoriented strategies, aiming to experience thoughts and sensation without trying to control or avoid them (Hayes et al, 1999), may reduce dysfunctional thought suppression and accompanying negative emotions (Shallcross, Troy, Boland, & Mauss, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression and suicidal ideation in high‐performance athletes suffering from low back pain: The role of stress and pain‐related thought suppression

Konietzny

Chehadi

Levenig

et al. 2019

European Journal of Pain

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Background Depression and suicidal ideation are important health problems in athletes suffering from pain. Dysfunctional pain cognitions, that is, pain‐related thought suppression (PTS), may play an important role in their aetiology. Thought suppression was shown to increase depressive mood, particularly in highly stressed individuals. This cross‐sectional study examines the relationship between PTS and stress on depression and suicidal ideation in athletes with pain. Methods A total of 159 athletes with non‐specific low back pain completed a set of questionnaires to measure PTS, depression and stress. Participants were split into groups with high and low stress, and high and low PTS. Two‐way ANOVA calculated main effects for PTS, stress and a PTS*stress interaction, with depressive symptoms as dependent. Subsequently, distribution tests were calculated, investigating if the presence of clinically relevant depression and suicidal ideation is dependent of conditions of high/low PTS and stress. Results A main effect of stress demonstrated higher depression scores in highly stressed athletes. Further, a significant PTS*stress interaction showed elevated depression scores in athletes with high PTS and high stress. Distribution analysis revealed positive associations between PTS, stress and depression, with depression being most frequent among athletes with high PTS and high stress. Suicidal ideation was not significantly associated with PTS and only weakly correlated with stress. Conclusions Our findings show that PTS is the most common pain response in athletes with pain. The results indicate a higher prevalence of depression and elevated depressive symptoms in athletes experiencing high stress, seemingly more pronounced when highly engaging in PTS. Significance This study contributes to the understanding of depression in athletes with pain, suggesting stress and pain‐related thought suppression to increase symptoms and prevalence of depression. As athletes often experience acute or chronic pain, understanding the impact of pain cognitions on health outcomes is an important step in the optimization of treatments.

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Assessment of psychological pain management techniques: a comparative study between athletes and non-athletes

Cited by 16 publications

References 31 publications

Sensitivity to pain and strategies of coping with stress in combat athletes

Sensitivity to pain and strategies of coping with stress in combat athletes

Psychological pain responses in athletes and non‐athletes with low back pain: Avoidance and endurance matter

Depression and suicidal ideation in high‐performance athletes suffering from low back pain: The role of stress and pain‐related thought suppression

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