The influence of communication goals and physical demands on different dimensions of pain behavior

Abstract

The purpose of the present research was to examine the influence of communication goals and physical demands on the expression of communicative (e.g., facial grimaces) and protective (e.g., guarding) pain behaviors. Participants with musculoskeletal conditions (N=50) were asked to lift a series of weights under two communication goal conditions. In one condition, participants were asked to estimate the weight of the object they lifted. In a second condition, participants were asked to rate their pain while lifting the same objects. The display of communicative pain behaviors varied as a function of the communication goal manipulation; participants displayed more communicative pain behavior when asked to rate their pain while lifting objects than when they estimated the weight of the object. Protective pain behaviors varied with the physical demands of the task, but not as a function of the communication goals manipulation. Pain ratings and self-reported disability were significantly correlated with protective pain behaviors but not with communicative pain behaviors. The results of this study support the functional distinctiveness of different forms of pain behavior. Findings are discussed in terms of evolutionary and learning theory models of pain behavior. Clinical implications of the findings are addressed.

Human Observer and Automatic Assessment of Movement Related Self-Efficacy in Chronic Pain: From Exercise to Functional Activity

“…Furthermore, subjects are predisposed to bodily expressions when they are challenged with feared stimuli as they are motivated towards behaviour that avoids or mitigates perceived harm. In particular, [28] found that people with chronic pain were more likely to express bodily pain behaviours when faced with challenging physical activity. This is in contrast to facial and verbal expressions, which were more used to communicate pain to an empathetic third party.…”

“…A major finding from Study 1 is that body movement is the main modality used by expert movement observers in MRSE assessment. While the importance of the body as a modality has been emphasised for affect in general [26][27] and for pain related affect in particular [28], only [18] had pointed to the relevance of body cues for MRSE specifically and then only in the context of choreographic performances. Our own finding points to the need for the tracking of body movement, to be able to automatically monitor MRSE levels.…”

We Discount the Pain of Others When Pain Has No Medical Explanation

“…Although facial pain expressions are a salient source of information, other forms of pain behavior, such as guarding or rubbing, are relevant as well. 37 Therefore, future research may benefit from including information on full body movements. Sixth, future research may benefit from measuring participants" belief in deception and genuineness.…”

The thing about pain: The remaking of illness narratives in chronic pain expressions on social media

“…Abundant research on the chasm between patients and doctors in the clinical management of chronic pain (Eccleston et al, 1997;Kugelmann, 1999;Hadjistavropoulous and Craig, 2002;Kenny 2004;Smith et al 2006;Sullivan et al 2006a;Sullivan et al 2006b;McCrystal et al, 2011), highlights that pain communication in clinical contexts is often fraught by differences in expectations and outcomes.…”