The Role of Sensory Processing Sensitivity in Pediatric Chronic Pain

University Hospital Basel

Status: Completed

Conditions: Chronic Pain

Treatments: Behavioral: Heat Pain Paradigm

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04473014

Heat Pain

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this project is to increase scientific understanding of whether the trait of SPS can help explain increased pain sensitivity and hence vulnerability for chronic pain. Additionally, it will be tested whether participants with high SPS report differences in pain intensity in response to positive, negative, or neutral mood induction compared to individuals with lower SPS.

Full description

Background: Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience and in its chronic form, pain is highly prevalent, up to 25% of children and adolescents are affected by it. The exact etiology of many forms of chronic pain remains unknown. One mechanism that has been proposed to underlie increased pain sensitivity is central sensitization, i.e., increased efficacy of the nervous system in transmitting pain signals, which manifests itself as a lower pain threshold. A lower pain threshold in turn has been recognized as a risk factor for the development of chronic pain. Being more sensitive to pain is one feature commonly shared by those with high sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), who are thought to react more strongly to both positive and negative environmental influences. The relationship between this increased sensitivity and pain tolerance has not been studied to date, but could contribute to our understanding of why some children and adolescents are more vulnerable to developing chronic pain than others.

Objectives and Aims: The aim of this project is to increase scientific understanding of whether the trait of SPS can help explain increased pain sensitivity and hence vulnerability for chronic pain. Additionally, it will be tested whether participants with high SPS report differences in pain intensity in response to positive, negative, or neutral mood induction compared to individuals with lower SPS.

Methods: To examine differences in pain perception of an experimentally induced pain stimulus between people with varying levels of SPS and whether pain perception can modulated by positive, negative, or neutral mood induction, I will apply a heat pain paradigm in a sample of healthy adolescents. Participants will be randomized to either neutral, positive or negative mood induction and I will test whether their pain sensitivity differs as a function of their scores on a high sensitivity scale and with regard to mood induction.

Expected Results: We expect highly sensitive adolescents to have a lower pain threshold and tolerance and to react more strongly to positive (with decreased pain ratings) and negative (with increased pain ratings) mood induction compared to those with lower scores on the sensitivity scale.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 16 to 19 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy adolescents aged 16-19 years

Exclusion criteria

• Chronic pain or another chronic condition
• Skin pathologies
• Sensory abnormalities affecting the tactile or thermal modality
• Pregnancy
• Current medication
• Current psychological or psychiatric treatment
• Insufficient language skills to understand the instructions

Trial design

100 participants in 3 patient groups

Positive Mood

Description:

This group will be exposed to a positive mood induction prior to heat pain.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Heat Pain Paradigm

Negative Mood

Description:

This group will be exposed to a negative mood induction prior to heat pain.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Heat Pain Paradigm

Neutral Mood

Description:

This group will be exposed to a neutral mood induction prior to heat pain.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Heat Pain Paradigm