Attentional control of pain perception: the role of hypochondriasis

Journal of Psychosomatic Research
S LautenbacherN Birbaumer

Abstract

The role of hypochondriasis in the attentional control of pain perception was investigated in 28 in-patients (12 women and 16 men) at a hospital for psychosomatic disorders, who had been classified into high- and low-hypochondriacal categories by means of the Illness Attitude Scales (IAS). The two groups did not differ in their basic pain sensitivity based on their heat pain thresholds. Attentional control was manipulated by a mental arithmetic task, resulting in one experimental condition with distraction and one without distraction. In both of the conditions, subjects rated the intensity and the unpleasantness of nonpainful and painful heat stimuli on visual analog scales (VAS). Distraction significantly reduced the perceived intensity and unpleasantness of the stimuli at painful levels but not at nonpainful levels. Contrary to our expectation, the individual level of hypochondriasis did not influence this result. Although distraction seemed to have a strong influence on pain perception, hypochondriasis as a symptom or a trait did not contribute to this effect.

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Citations

Mar 23, 2006·Experimental Brain Research·M T HuberS Lautenbacher
Jan 22, 2002·Journal of Psychosomatic Research·Paul Pauli, Georg W Alpers
Aug 23, 2007·Cyberpsychology & Behavior : the Impact of the Internet, Multimedia and Virtual Reality on Behavior and Society·Andreas MühlbergerBrenda K Wiederhold
Apr 22, 2015·International Journal of Behavioral Medicine·Donja RodicGunther Meinlschmidt
Oct 23, 2008·Journal of Psychosomatic Research·Natascia BrondinoEnzo Emanuele
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May 8, 2007·Pain·David A Seminowicz, Karen D Davis
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Mar 27, 2002·Psychosomatic Medicine·Jennifer Mailloux, Jasper Brener
Apr 27, 2002·Experimental Psychology·Klaus RothermundFernand Anton
Dec 22, 2007·Somatosensory & Motor Research·Stefan LautenbacherGary B Rollman
May 22, 2020·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Lidia BravoEsther Berrocoso

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