Koechlin Helen, Donado Carolina, Locher Cosima, Kossowsky Joe, Lionetti Francesca, Pluess Michael
Division of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Pain Rep. 2023 Jan 6;8(1):e1053. doi: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001053. eCollection 2023 Jan.
Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) describes a genetically influenced trait characterized by greater of information , lower sensory threshold, and ease of overstimulation. It is hypothesized that SPS plays a crucial role in the context of chronic pain. This exploratory study examined SPS as a correlate of pain intensity and pain-related disability in a sample of adolescents reporting chronic pain.
Adolescents reporting chronic pain were contacted through social media and through specialized pain clinics. Participants completed online questionnaires on their levels of SPS, pain features, emotion regulation, and quality of life. A series of analysis of variances (ANOVAs) were calculated to detect differences between 3 SPS groups (ie, high, medium, and low sensitivity) regarding emotion regulation, quality of life, and pain features. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to predict pain intensity, pain-related disability, and quality of life.
In total, 103 participants completed the survey (68.9% female, M 17.9). Back pain was the most frequently reported pain location. Proportion of highly sensitive individuals was large (45.68%). The ANOVA revealed significant differences between sensitivity groups related to quality-of-life subscales, namely, for physical (F(2, 100) = 7.42, < 0.001), emotional (F(2, 100) = 6.11, < 0.001), and school functioning (F(2, 100) = 3.75, = 0.03). High sensitivity was not predictive of pain but of health-related quality of life.
Our results indicate that SPS is an important and prevalent characteristic to consider in the context of chronic pain in adolescents, specifically regarding the quality of life.
感觉加工敏感性（SPS）描述了一种受遗传影响的特质，其特征是对信息的加工更深入、感觉阈值更低且容易受到过度刺激。据推测，SPS在慢性疼痛的背景下起着至关重要的作用。这项探索性研究在一组报告患有慢性疼痛的青少年样本中，检验了SPS与疼痛强度及疼痛相关残疾之间的相关性。
通过社交媒体和专业疼痛诊所联系报告患有慢性疼痛的青少年。参与者完成了关于他们的SPS水平、疼痛特征、情绪调节和生活质量的在线问卷。计算了一系列方差分析（ANOVA），以检测3个SPS组（即高、中、低敏感性）在情绪调节、生活质量和疼痛特征方面的差异。进行了多元线性回归以预测疼痛强度、疼痛相关残疾和生活质量。
共有103名参与者完成了调查（68.9%为女性，平均年龄17.9岁）。背痛是最常报告的疼痛部位。高敏感个体的比例较大（45.68%）。方差分析显示，敏感性组在生活质量子量表方面存在显著差异，即身体方面（F(2, 100) = 7.42，p < 0.001）、情绪方面（F(2, 100) = 6.11，p < 0.001）和学校功能方面（F(2, 100) = 3.75，p = 0.03）。高敏感性不能预测疼痛，但能预测与健康相关的生活质量。
我们的结果表明，在青少年慢性疼痛的背景下，特别是在生活质量方面，SPS是一个需要考虑的重要且普遍的特征。
