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Gender role expectations of pain mediate sex differences in cold pain responses in healthy Libyans
Author(s) -
Alabas O.A.,
Tashani O.A.,
Johnson M.I.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
european journal of pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.305
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1532-2149
pISSN - 1090-3801
DOI - 10.1016/j.ejpain.2011.05.012
Subject(s) - threshold of pain , cold pressor test , pain tolerance , anxiety , psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , heart rate , blood pressure
Previous studies found a relationship between response to experimentally‐induced pain and scores for the gender role expectations of pain ( GREP ) questionnaire. Findings were similar in individuals from A merica, P ortugal and I srael suggesting that gender role expectations may be universal. The aim of this study was to translate and validate A rabic GREP using F actor A nalysis and to investigate if sex differences to cold‐pressor pain in healthy L ibyan men and women are mediated through stereotypical social constructs of gender role expectations and/or pain‐related anxiety. One hundred fourteen university students (58 women) underwent two cycles of cold pressor pain test to measure pain threshold, tolerance, intensity, and unpleasantness. Participants also completed the A rabic GREP questionnaire and the P ain A nxiety S ymptom S cale‐ S hort form ( PASS ‐20). It was found that L ibyan men had higher pain thresholds and tolerances than women (mean difference, 95% CI : threshold = 4.69 (s), −0.72 to 10.1, p = 0.005; tolerance = 13.46 (s), 0.5–26.4, p = 0.018). There were significant differences between sexes in 6 out of 12 GREP items ( p < 0.004 after B onferonni adjustment). The results of mediational analysis showed that GREP factors were the mediators of the effects of sex on pain threshold ( z = −2.452, p = 0.014 for S elf S ensitivity); ( z = −2.563, p = 0.01, for S elf E ndurance) and on pain tolerance ( z = −2.538, p = 0.01 for S elf E ndurance). In conclusion, sex differences in response to pain were mediated by gender role expectations of pain but not pain‐related anxiety.