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It is an affective manifestation of the fight-or-flight system in response to pain perception. The sympathetic nervous system becomes activated by the amygdala, resulting in cognitive, physiological, and behavioral symptoms. Following pain perception subsequent to injury or pain-inducing stimuli, pain is interpreted catastrophically by inferring more harmful or life-threatening outcomes to its underlying cause. For instance, when an individual experiences acute pain after rolling over on their ankle, they might infer that the pain is caused by a broken bone, rather than by a sprain. This negative cognitive bias is predisposed by trait-like factors including anxiety sensitivity (i.e., fear of interoceptive experiences) and negative affectivity (i.e., the propensity toward experiencing negative emotions). This cognitive process prompts hypervigilance toward interoceptive cues (e.g., pain or muscle tension consequent to their...
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Asmundson, G. J. G., Norton, P. J., & Vlaeyen, W. S. (2004). Fear-avoidance models of chronic pain: An overview. In G. J. G. Asmundson, J. W. S. Vlaeyen, & G. Crombez (Eds.), Understanding and treating fear of pain (pp. 3–24). New York: Oxford University Press.
de Williams, A. C., & McCracken, L. M. (2004). Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain: An overview with specific reference to fear avoidance. In G. J. G. Asmundson, J. W. S. Vlaeyen, & G. Crobez (Eds.), Understanding and treating fear of pain (pp. 293–312). New York: Oxford University Press.
McNeil, D. W., & Vowles, K. E. (2004). Assessment of fear and anxiety associated with pain: Conceptualization, methods, and measures. In G. J. G. Asmundson, J. W. S. Vlaeyen, & G. Crombez (Eds.), Understanding and treating fear of pain (pp. 189–211). New York: Oxford University Press.
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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York
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Coons, M.J. (2013). Pain-Related Fear. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1159
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1159
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2
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