Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Ave., 7th Floor, Detroit, MI 48202 USA.
Transl Behav Med. 2012 Mar;2(1):73-81. doi: 10.1007/s13142-011-0085-4.
Life stress and the avoidance of negative emotions may contribute to chronic pain. The technique of written or spoken emotional disclosure can reverse emotional avoidance and improve health, and 18 randomized studies have tested it among people with chronic pain. We review these studies to provide guidance for the clinical use of this technique. The benefits of emotional disclosure for chronic pain are quite modest overall. Studies in rheumatoid arthritis show very limited effects, but two studies in fibromyalgia suggest that disclosure may be beneficial. Effects in other populations (headaches, cancer pain, pelvic pain, abdominal pain) are mixed. Moderator findings suggest that some patients are more likely to benefit than others. Emotional disclosure has been tested in well-controlled efficacy trials, leaving many unanswered questions related to translating this technique to practice. Issues needing further study include determining disclosure's effects outside of randomized controlled trials, identifying the optimal pain populations and specific individuals to target for disclosure, presenting a valid rationale for disclosure, selecting the location and method of disclosure, and choosing between cognitive-behavioral or emotional disclosure techniques.
生活压力和消极情绪的回避可能导致慢性疼痛。书面或口头情感表达的技巧可以逆转情绪回避，改善健康，有 18 项随机研究已经在慢性疼痛患者中进行了测试。我们回顾这些研究，为这种技术的临床应用提供指导。总的来说，情感表达对慢性疼痛的益处相当有限。类风湿关节炎的研究显示效果非常有限，但两项纤维肌痛的研究表明，表达可能是有益的。其他人群（头痛、癌症疼痛、盆腔疼痛、腹痛）的效果则不一致。调节因素的研究结果表明，一些患者比其他患者更有可能受益。情感表达已经在精心控制的疗效试验中进行了测试，还有许多与将这种技术转化为实践相关的问题没有得到解答。需要进一步研究的问题包括确定披露在随机对照试验之外的效果，确定最佳的疼痛人群和特定的目标人群进行披露，为披露提供合理的理由，选择披露的地点和方法，以及在认知行为或情感披露技术之间做出选择。
