Jones Allan, Zachariae Robert, Arendt-Nielsen Lars
Institute of Psychology, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Eur J Pain. 2003;7(5):387-95. doi: 10.1016/S1090-3801(02)00139-8.
Increased anxiety is believed to correlate with increased pain sensitivity in men and women. However, one laboratory-based study and one clinical-based study have offered evidence to suggest that the effect of anxiety in modulating pain sensitivity is specific to men only. The aim of the present study was to examine further whether anxiety differentially effects men and women's report of experimentally induced pain.
One hundred forty-four healthy university students (75 women, 69 men) were exposed to a contact heat pain procedure (ascending method of limits procedure, baseline temperature 30 degrees C, +/- 0.2 degrees C, rate of change 2.0 degrees C/s, cut-off limit 52 degrees C) and a cold pressor pain procedure (constant temperature +1 degrees C; +/-1 degrees C, cut-off limit 240 s).
The results agreed with the previous two studies indicating a sex-specific effect of anxiety on pain report. Male participants scoring above the median on the Trait Anxiety Inventory reported significantly greater pain intensity, unpleasantness and showed lower pain tolerance compared to males scoring below the median on the cold pressor pain procedure, while no such differences in cold pressor pain report were found between high and low anxious women. No effect of anxiety was found on measures taken from the contact heat pain procedure, indicating that the sex-specific effect of anxiety on laboratory induced pain is dependent upon the method of stimulation used.
Anxiety is an important factor when considering gender differences in pain perception and warrants further investigation.
人们认为焦虑加剧与男性和女性疼痛敏感性增加相关。然而，一项基于实验室的研究和一项基于临床的研究提供的证据表明，焦虑对疼痛敏感性的调节作用仅对男性具有特异性。本研究的目的是进一步检验焦虑是否对男性和女性在实验诱导疼痛方面的报告产生不同影响。
144名健康大学生（75名女性，69名男性）接受了接触热痛程序（极限递增法程序，基线温度30摄氏度，±0.2摄氏度，变化率2.0摄氏度/秒，截止极限52摄氏度）和冷加压痛程序（恒定温度+1摄氏度；±1摄氏度，截止极限240秒）。
结果与之前的两项研究一致，表明焦虑对疼痛报告存在性别特异性影响。在特质焦虑量表上得分高于中位数的男性参与者，与得分低于中位数的男性相比，在冷加压痛程序中报告的疼痛强度、不愉快程度明显更高，且疼痛耐受性更低，而高焦虑和低焦虑女性在冷加压痛报告方面未发现此类差异。在接触热痛程序的测量中未发现焦虑的影响，这表明焦虑对实验室诱导疼痛的性别特异性影响取决于所使用的刺激方法。
在考虑疼痛感知的性别差异时，焦虑是一个重要因素，值得进一步研究。
