Information Processing Bias in Chronic Pain
Information Processing Bias in Chronic Pain
Chronic pain represents an enormous and growing burden to individual sufferers and their families, to clinicians and to society as a whole. In order to alleviate this burden, better treatment methods are required, which in turn necessitate a more thorough understanding of the problem. The first paper outlines the impact of psychological theory and research on our understanding of chronic pain. It focuses on the most recent attempts to understand the problems, which have utilised information processing theories and methodologies, borrowed from the field of cognitive psychology. The research evidence concerning the presence and role of cognitive biases is critically reviewed and suggestions for future research are made. Two main conclusions are discussed. Firstly, that further research is needed to explore the implications of cognitive bias in chronic pain. Secondly, that an interpretation bias in chronic pain may hold the key to understanding the development and maintenance of the problem in the absence of on-going injury. The lack of reliable research in this area is highlighted.
The second paper describes a study which investigated the presence of an interpretation bias towards health, pain and illness interpretations of ambiguous stimuli in chronic back pain patients. The hypothesised characteristic presence of such an interpretation bias in this patient group was not supported using either method. The paper concludes that the results may reflect a difference in cognitive bias between sub-groups of chronic pain patients. The need for further research to confirm this hypothesis is discussed along with the potential clinical implications of such research.
University of Southampton
Holmes, Steve Anna Louise
8fd38b78-afae-47d0-bc36-12cfc0771706
2001
Holmes, Steve Anna Louise
8fd38b78-afae-47d0-bc36-12cfc0771706
Holmes, Steve Anna Louise
(2001)
Information Processing Bias in Chronic Pain.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Chronic pain represents an enormous and growing burden to individual sufferers and their families, to clinicians and to society as a whole. In order to alleviate this burden, better treatment methods are required, which in turn necessitate a more thorough understanding of the problem. The first paper outlines the impact of psychological theory and research on our understanding of chronic pain. It focuses on the most recent attempts to understand the problems, which have utilised information processing theories and methodologies, borrowed from the field of cognitive psychology. The research evidence concerning the presence and role of cognitive biases is critically reviewed and suggestions for future research are made. Two main conclusions are discussed. Firstly, that further research is needed to explore the implications of cognitive bias in chronic pain. Secondly, that an interpretation bias in chronic pain may hold the key to understanding the development and maintenance of the problem in the absence of on-going injury. The lack of reliable research in this area is highlighted.
The second paper describes a study which investigated the presence of an interpretation bias towards health, pain and illness interpretations of ambiguous stimuli in chronic back pain patients. The hypothesised characteristic presence of such an interpretation bias in this patient group was not supported using either method. The paper concludes that the results may reflect a difference in cognitive bias between sub-groups of chronic pain patients. The need for further research to confirm this hypothesis is discussed along with the potential clinical implications of such research.
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Published date: 2001
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Local EPrints ID: 467075
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/467075
PURE UUID: 44904eeb-da04-4c2e-a60b-8c9a73e3d219
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 08:11
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 20:58
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Author:
Steve Anna Louise Holmes
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