Fear of Pain and Its Association with Past Painful Experiences and Childhood Adversities — Oak Academic Publishing
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Fear of Pain and Its Association with Past Painful Experiences and Childhood Adversities
Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
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Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
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Department of Economy and Sustainable Development, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
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School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE), Athens, Greece
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Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
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Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory of Integrated Health, Care and Well-Being, Univer-sity of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
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Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
,
Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
1 Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
2 Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
3 Department of Economy and Sustainable Development, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
4 School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE), Athens, Greece
5 Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
6 Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory of Integrated Health, Care and Well-Being, Univer-sity of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
7 Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
8 Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Research Laboratory Psychology of Patients, Families and Health Professionals, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
Childhood adversities and past painful experiences are mediators of adult fears. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of childhood trauma and past painful experiences on the fear of pain, as expressed through their Fear of Pain Questionnaire III. Eight hundred and thirty-one healthy individuals (262 men and 569 women) from the general population, aged 36.35 (12.86) years old, were enrolled in the study. They were asked to fill out the Fear of Pain Questionnaire (FPQ-III) and to report any adverse events in their childhood. A score of childhood adversities was created by summing the stressors. The presence and intensity of painful experiences were significantly associated with the total FPQ score. Participants who had at least one painful experience or a total pain experience score above its median value differed statistically significantly in total FPQ score when compared with their counterparts without any childhood adversity or lower adversities ( p < 0.05). The FPQ total score was significantly correlated with the adversities score. This study underlines the associations of common childhood adversities with the fear of pain, quantifying their effect. A higher FPQ score mirrors a higher childhood stressors’ burden and informs the clinician about the adult’s psychological background, thus allowing prompt and proper interventions.
KeywordsPainFearChildhoodExperienceAbuse
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