Do Emotions and Pain Combined Affect Mechanical Pain Thresholds and Other Pain-related Variables in Individuals with Chronic Pain?

The purpose of this study is to investigate if different emotional states could influence mechanical pain thresholds and other pain - related variables such as pain tolerance, pain intensity and pain - related negative affect in individuals with chronic pain.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Pain Intensity; Pain Thresholds
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Emotional intervention; Other: Emotional intervention; Other: Emotional intervention

Detailed Description

Participants with chronic pain will be randomized into 4 different groups watching different short video-clips (2.20 min), while at the same time experience short-lasting, experimentally induced pain. The negative emotions group will watch an uncomfortable short video containing violence and blood, the positive emotions group will watch a video containing a stand-up comedy show, the neutral emotions group will watch a video about how to paint a house, and the control group will just wait for 2.20 min, without any instructions about what to think about. Pressure pain thresholds, pain tolerance, pain intensity and pain-related negative affect will be measured with an algometer before and after the video-clip combined with experimental pain interventions.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 180
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Helena Gunnarsson, Dr; Phone Number: +46708432509; Email: helena.gunnarsson@lnu.se

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Above 18 years of age
• Fluent in Swedish
• Persistent chronic pain with duration > 6 months

Exclusion criteria:

- Known neurological disease

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Experimental: Negative emotion, positive emotion, neutral emotion, control with experimental pain; Arm Description: The intervention includes either a negatively emotionally valenced video, a positively emotionally valenced video, a neutrally emotionally valenced video and experimental pain from the cold pressor test that are simultaneosly applied.

Other: Emotional intervention; Emotional intervention Description: The participant will watch a short video-clip with negative emotional content while simultaneously experience experimentally induced pain.; Other: Emotional intervention; Description: The participant will watch a short video-clip with positive emotional content while simultaneously experience experimentally induced pain.; Other: Emotional intervention; Description: The participant will watch a short video-clip with neutral emotional content while simultaneously experience experimentally induced pain.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pressure pain thresholds	Description: Pressure pain thresholds will be measured i kPa with a handheld algometer (Somedic AB).	Day 1: baseline PPTs are measured, intervention 2.20 min follows and intervention PPTs are measured directly after the intervention. Recruitment for single appointments for each participant will take place for 4 months.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain tolerance (time in seconds the left hand is immersed in cold water 1 degree C).	Description: The measure pain tolerance equals the time the time the participant keeps their left hand immersed in cold water (1 degree C), before they decide to withdraw their hand. This will be measured in seconds. For each participant, the maximum time to keep the hand immersed in water is 300 seconds. Participants are successively recruited for single appointments for 4 months.	Day 1: During a single session (30 min), the participant will keep their hand immersed in cold water for as long as possible while watching a video. This time will be measured in seconds.
Pain intensity on the NRS	Participants will rate their perceived pain intensity on the NRS (Numerical Rating Scale) after the intervention (film-clip combined with pain induction using the cold pressor apparatus with cold water 1 degree C. This will take place on a single session appointment for each participant. Participants will be successively recruited for single session appointments for 4 months.	Day 1: Pain intensity will be estimated at single session appointments (30 min) on the NRS (Numerical Rating Scale) after the intervention. Participants will be successively recruited for single session appointments for 4 months.
Pain-related negative affect on the NRS-A	Description: Perceived pain-related negative affect will be estimated on the NRS-A (Numerical Rating Scale- Anxiety) after the intervention (film-clip combined with pain induction with the cold pressor apparatus with cold water 1 degree C).The pain intensity will be estimated at every single session appointment (30 min) after the intervention on the NRS (Numerical Rating Scale). The participants will be successively recruited for single session appointments for 4 months.	Day 1: Pain intensity will be estimated at single session appointments (30 min) on the NRS-A (Numerical Rating Scale-Anxiety) after the intervention. Participants will be successively recruited for single session appointments for 4 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Linnaeus University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 21, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 26, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 26, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Emotions; Pressure pain thresholds
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Pain; Chronic Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2024-07781-01 ethic approval

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No