Can Sensory- and Attachment-Informed Approaches Modify the Perception of Pain? An Experimental Study.

Pamela Joy Meredith,Jessica Thackeray,Jenny Strong,Cory Poll,Sophie Bowen,Nicole Emma Andrews,Federica Galli

doi:10.1155/2021/5527261

Abstract

Accumulating evidence linking pain with both attachment and sensory processing variables introduces the possibility that attachment- and sensory-informed strategies may modify pain experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate this proposition using an experimentally induced pain procedure. Pain perceptions of individuals using either a sensory-informed (weighted modality) or an attachment-informed (secure base priming) coping strategy were compared with those of individuals using no designated coping strategy. An independent measures experimental study design was used with a convenience sample of 272 pain-free adults. Experimental participants (n = 156) were randomly allocated to either an attachment (n = 75) or a sensory (n = 81) intervention group. Data from these participants were compared to those of 116 participants involved in an earlier cold pressor study in which no coping strategy was used. All participants completed the same sensory, attachment, and distress questionnaires and participated in the same cold pressor pain test. ANCOVAs revealed that participants in the sensory- and attachment-informed intervention groups reported significantly higher pain thresholds than the control group. Participants allocated to the sensory group also reported higher pain intensity scores than the control group. There were no significant differences in pain tolerance between the three groups after controlling for covariates. While further research is required, findings encourage further consideration of sensory- and attachment-informed strategies for people anticipating a painful experience.

Highlights

Studies have linked adult attachment patterns with both experimental [1,2,3] and chronic [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] pain variables
As a first step in investigating potential clinical applications of attachment and sensory theories in the field of chronic pain [12, 15], the present study investigated perceptions of cold pressor-induced pain held by people using attachment- or sensory-informed coping strategies to those of people using no designated coping strategy
Rowe et al [24] found that both secure and anxious primes, delivered during a cold pressor task, resulted in higher pain tolerance and threshold compared to neutral primes, but did not affect pain intensity or catastrophizing

Summary

Introduction

Studies have linked adult attachment patterns with both experimental [1,2,3] and chronic [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] pain variables. As a first step in investigating potential clinical applications of attachment and sensory theories in the field of chronic pain [12, 15], the present study investigated perceptions of cold pressor-induced pain held by people using attachment- or sensory-informed coping strategies to those of people using no designated coping strategy. The potential clinical applications of attachment and sensory theories in the field of chronic pain is considered, the impact of sensory- and attachment-informed coping strategies in an experimental pain task. We addressed the research question: do participants using either a sensory (weighted modality) or attachment (secure base priming) coping strategy vary in terms of pain threshold, tolerance, or pain intensity, compared to controls, during an experimentally induced pain procedure? We addressed the research question: do participants using either a sensory (weighted modality) or attachment (secure base priming) coping strategy vary in terms of pain threshold, tolerance, or pain intensity, compared to controls, during an experimentally induced pain procedure? Improving our understanding of these factors may assist in developing effective strategies to support management of painful procedures and, potentially, chronic pain

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Results