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Stress and Pain

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Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care

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Abstract

Chronic pain can affect every aspect of life, from functional disability to social isolation, financial problems, and stress and psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. However, there are enormous individual differences in how those with pain function; while many chronic pain patients experience relatively low levels of daily functioning, others are able to adapt and function well. For these reasons, an understanding of individual differences in coping strategies, background or consequent psychological stress, and environmental and social resources may help to understand how stress and pain are related. Because pain incorporates both a sensory and emotional component, it is important to understand both when considering assessment and treatment of pain. This chapter will focus specifically on the relationship between pain (both chronic and acute) and psychological stress, but the fundamental message of what follows is that the comorbidity between stress and pain requires careful assessment of psychological, social, and environmental factors when assessing patients in pain, and when planning a treatment strategy. Whether the pain specifically increases stress or whether similar amounts of stress are induced by illness in general, stress can increase the experience and perception of pain, the mode and degree of success in coping with the pain, the degree to which patients and healthcare providers can effectively work together, and adherence to and success with treatment.

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Abbreviations

CBT:

Cognitive behavioral therapy

DHEA:

Dehydroepiandrosterone

fMRI:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

HPA:

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

OTC:

Over-the-counter

PSP:

Perceived Stress Scale

PTSD:

Posttraumatic stress disorder

SES:

Socioeconomic status

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases, The National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Catherine M. Stoney PhD

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  1. Catherine M. Stoney PhD
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Correspondence to Catherine M. Stoney PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA

    Rhonda J. Moore

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Stoney, C.M. (2013). Stress and Pain. In: Moore, R.J. (eds) Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1651-8_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1651-8_22

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