Pain tolerance in children and adolescents: Sex differences and psychosocial influences on pain threshold and endurance
Pain tolerance in children and adolescents: Sex differences and psychosocial influences on pain threshold and endurance
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DOI：
10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00169.x
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发表时间：
2013-01-01
影响因子：
3.6
通讯作者：
Lohaus, A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Schmitz, A-K.;Vierhaus, M.;Lohaus, A.
背景：对儿童和青少年进行的实验室研究显示，尽管成年女性的疼痛耐受性较低，但关于性别差异的研究结果并不一致。除了生物机制外，还讨论了一些社会认知变量，这些变量可能影响性别差异的疼痛耐受性。本研究的目的是探讨儿童和青少年在冷压力任务（CPT）中的疼痛耐受性，并分析疼痛应对和疼痛相关自我效能的影响。方法对1021名917岁儿童和青少年进行调查。疼痛耐受性的定义是参与者的手在CPT期间停留在水下的时间长度。疼痛耐受的两个阶段被区分开来：直到疼痛被报告的时间（疼痛阈值）和从疼痛阈值到疼痛增加到导致手被收回的程度的时间（疼痛耐力）。采用自我报告问卷评估疼痛应对和疼痛相关自我效能感。结果性别对疼痛阈值的影响明显，随年龄的增长而增加，对疼痛耐受性的影响较小，对耐力的影响不显著。疼痛相关自我效能感和积极自我指导对疼痛耐受力的影响与性别无关。结论我们的研究结果支持这样的假设，即女性和男性青少年在进入青春期后对疼痛的耐受性发展方向不同。这似乎主要归因于女孩疼痛阈值的降低。相比之下，男孩和女孩能够忍受痛苦的程度是相同的，然而，自我效能感和应对变量的影响。
Background Laboratory studies with children and adolescents revealed inconsistent findings regarding sex differences in pain tolerance, although lower pain tolerance is commonly reported for adult women. Besides biological mechanisms, several socio-cognitive variables are discussed which may influence pain tolerance in regard to sex differences. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the pain tolerance of children and adolescents using the cold pressor task (CPT) and to analyse influences of pain-coping and pain-related self-efficacy. Methods About 1021 children and adolescents aged 917 participated in the study. Pain tolerance was defined as the length of time a participant's hand remains under water during the CPT. Two phases of pain tolerance were differentiated: the time until pain is reported (pain threshold) and the time from the threshold until the pain increases to a level resulting in the hand being withdrawn (pain endurance). Pain-coping and pain-related self-efficacy were assessed by self-report questionnaires. Results We revealed an obvious effect of sex on pain threshold, which increased with age, a small effect on pain tolerance and no significant effect on endurance. Independent of sex, pain endurance was influenced by pain-related self-efficacy and positive self-instruction. Conclusions Our results support the assumption that female and male adolescents develop in different directions regarding their pain tolerance when reaching puberty. This seems mainly attributable to a decrease of pain threshold in girls. In contrast, boys and girls are able to endure pain to an equal extent influenced, however, by self-efficacy and coping variables.