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Influence of psychological stress on physical pain
Author(s) -
Hwang Gul,
Kim SunKyung,
Kim JungHo,
Kim HackRyul,
Park SangHag,
Kim SangHoon
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.1170
Subject(s) - somatization , coping (psychology) , population , pain catastrophizing , psychology , checklist , chronic pain , clinical psychology , physical therapy , medicine , anxiety , psychiatry , environmental health , cognitive psychology
The goal of this study was to determine the influence of psychological stress on non‐pathologic physical pain in a general population. Data pertaining to the source of, response to, and coping with stress, as well as site and intensity of pain was collected on 91 non‐patient subjects using a self‐report questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of a Global Assessment of Recent Stress, Stress Response Inventory and Ways of Coping Checklist, in addition to the Site and Intensity of Stress‐Related Pain. It was found that the degree of stress was proportional to the pain severity. Also, the degree of responses to stress and coping style played a role in pain severity. Moreover, economic status, stress from sickness or injury, and somatization were the best predictors of the pain severity in our study population. The most common stress‐related pain was occipital headache, and the pain sites were dependent on certain stress variables. The high pain group and no pain group showed distinct demographic and stress profiles. The various aspects of psychological stress affect the incidence, site and intensity of physical pain. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.