Pleasant Touch Perception in Persistent Pain.

Being Touched in Persistent Pain: Mapping the Association Between Pleasant Touch and Central Sensitization in Patients With Persistent Pain.

The goal of this observational study is to learn how individuals with chronic pain experience pleasant touch and how often they are exposed to such touch in their daily lives. The study also aims to examine how these experiences relate to pain sensitivity and body awareness. The main questions it aims to answer are:

How is the perception of pleasant touch associated with central sensitization and interoceptive awareness in individuals with chronic pain?

Does the perception of pleasant touch differ between individuals with different dominant pain mechanisms (nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic)?

Participants referred to a specialist Pain Clinic in Västra Götaland as part of their regular care will be invited to take part. Those who consent will complete online questionnaires assessing pain, experience and exposure to touch, interoceptive awareness, and central sensitization. Clinical data such as pain diagnosis and medical history will also be collected.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Chronic Pain; Persistent Pain

Detailed Description

This observational study aims to investigate how individuals with chronic pain experience pleasant touch and how these experiences relate to central sensitization, interoceptive awareness, and different pain mechanisms.

Participants referred to the Pain Clinic in Västra Götaland as part of their regular care will be invited to participate. After receiving written and oral information and providing informed consent, participants will complete digital questionnaires via a secure electronic data capture system (REDCap).

The questionnaires assess experience and exposure to pleasant social touch, central sensitization (Central Sensitization Inventory, CSI), interoceptive awareness (Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, MAIA-2), and pain intensity (Numeric Pain Rating Scale, NPRS). A newly developed questionnaire will be used to assess perception and exposure to social touch, including qualitative components.

Clinical data will be collected during routine physician visits and include pain diagnosis, pain distribution, symptom severity, comorbidities, and medication use. Questionnaire data and clinical data will be linked using participant ID numbers. Treating physicians will not have access to questionnaire responses to reduce the risk of bias.

Additional data may be obtained from the Swedish National Registry for Pain Rehabilitation (NRS), where applicable.

A total of 100 participants will be included. Based on previous registry data and similar studies, subgroup sizes are expected to be sufficient to allow comparisons between individuals with different dominant pain mechanisms (e.g., nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic pain).

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Line Löken, PhD; Phone Number: +46706722713; Email: line.loken@gu.se

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • Gothenburg, Sweden
    • Smärtteam Västra Götaland

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults with persistent pain referred to Smärtteam Västra Götaland for clinical assessment and management.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged 18 years and older
• Referred to and accepted for assessment at Pain Clinic (Smärtteam) Västra Götaland due to persistent pain (duration ≥ 3 months)
• Able to read and complete self-report questionnaires in Swedish

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to read or complete self-report questionnaires in Swedish
• Need for interpreter support

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Chronic Pain Patients; Individuals with chronic pain referred to a specialist pain clinic in Västra Götaland. Participants will complete questionnaires assessing pain, experience and exposure to pleasant touch, interoceptive awareness, and central sensitization. Clinical data will be collected as part of routine care.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perception of pleasant touch	Perception of pleasant touch assessed using a study-specific questionnaire measuring experience and exposure to social touch.	At baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Central sensitization	Central sensitization measured using the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI).	At baseline
Interoceptive awareness	Interoceptive awareness assessed using the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2).	At baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Göteborg University
• Collaborators: Västra Götalandsregionen

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 26, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2030
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 20, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 20, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 20, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Neuropathic pain; Social touch; Affective touch; Central sensitization; Interoception; Nociplastic pain; Nociceptive pain; Pleasant touch
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Chronic Pain; Neuralgia; Nociceptive Pain; Nociplastic Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025-08467-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: It is currently undecided whether individual participant data will be shared. Data sharing will be considered in accordance with ethical approvals, data protection regulations, and institutional policies.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No