Trauma symptoms, temperament traits, social support and the intensity of pain in a Polish sample of patients suffering from chronic pain

RETRACTED: Quality of Life and PTSD Symptoms, and Temperament and Coping With Stress

“…Malignant neoplasm is still one of the leading causes of mortality, but advances in medicine made it possible to treat it or to prolong life of people diagnosed with cancer ( Heymach et al, 2018 ). For many people, it is a chronic disease that can be treated for many years and as such it leads to new issues such as stress related to one’s health condition and possible failure of treatment, the necessity to adjust to the illness, emotional, cognitive, and psychological effects of the disease and treatment and changes in family system and social environment of chronically ill people ( Rzeszutek et al, 2015 ; Ahmad et al, 2017 ).…”

Post-Traumatic Growth and Stress-Related Responses During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a National Representative Sample: The Role of Positive Core Beliefs About the World and Others

“…In contrast to other common PTE associated with PTS (Galea et al 2020 ; DePierro et al 2020 ), the threat from COVID-19 is continuous, invisible, and universal. Moreover, as in other medical conditions, such as cancer (Cordova et al 2017 ) or chronic pain (Rzeszutek et al 2015 ), the reactions associated with the current virus are probably not limited to the diagnosis of a serious disease, but are also a by-product of the constant awareness of our susceptibility to be infected and the multiple medical, psychological and social consequences of the condition (Edmondson 2014 ). In the case of the SARS-CoV-2, the life-threat is aggravated because, beyond confinement and/or social distancing, there are no known ways to prevent the spread of the virus and there is a high degree of uncertainty about its impact.…”

Temperament traits, social support, and trauma symptoms among HIV/AIDS and chronic pain patients

“…There is increasing evidence of the association between trauma symptoms, as appear in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; symptoms of recurring flashbacks, avoidance of memories of the traumatic event, hyperarousal) and experiencing various medical conditions ( Moye and Rouse, 2014 , Tedstone and Tarrier, 2003 ). The prevalence of medical illness-related trauma symptoms has been observed in cancer patients ( Kangas, Henry, & Bryant, 2005 ), patients with cardiovascular diseases ( Coughlin, 2011 ), HIV+ people ( Rzeszutek, Oniszczenko, & Firląg–Burkacka, 2012 ), and individuals suffering from chronic pain ( Asmundson, 2014 , Britvić et al, 2015 , Rzeszutek et al, 2015 ). Trauma symptoms in these patient groups are usually related to receiving a medical diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, but they may also be linked to painful treatment and the stressful course of the disease ( Norman, Stein, Dimsdale, & Hoyt, 2008 ).…”

“…The relationship between chronic pain and PTSD was first described by Sharp and Harvey (2001) in their mutual maintenance model, in which these authors proved that chronic pain and PTSD share a few similar intrapsychic mechanisms, such as an increased level of arousal, attentional biases, and avoidance coping style, which are responsible for mutual maintenance of these two disorders. Several other studies have indicated that trauma symptoms in individuals suffering from chronic pain may be particularly linked to overwhelming, chronic pain, precluding normal social functioning, substantially reducing quality of life, and causing significant disability and functional limitations ( Beck and Clapp, 2011 , Rzeszutek et al, 2015 ) as well as a risk of premature mortality, which was especially observed among patients with rheumatoid arthritis ( Benka, Nagyova, & Rosenberger, 2014 ). Conversely, other authors found that chronic pain is one of the most often reported physical health complaints among people who have experienced traumatic experiences and developed PTSD ( Kendall-Tackett, 2009 ), which was especially observed among war veterans ( Irwin, Konnert, Wong, & O’Neill, 2014 ) and survivors of natural disasters (Leythan & Powel, 2012).…”

“…The significance of these traits comes from the fact that temperament is present at birth, and the biological mechanisms linked to these traits work together to regulate the state of stress as well as its consequences. The relationship between temperament traits from the RTT and trauma symptoms has been observed in the case of many traumatic events such as trauma after flooding ( Strelau & Zawadzki, 2005 ), trauma among participants in motor vehicle accidents (Zawadzki & Popiel, 2011), trauma associated with HIV infection ( Rzeszutek & Oniszczenko, 2013 ) and trauma among people suffering from chronic pain ( Rzeszutek et al, 2015 ). Specifically, emotional reactivity and perseveration are considered as predictors, while briskness, activity, endurance and sensory sensitivity are seen as protective resources in the case of traumatic stress ( Strelau, 2008 ).…”