Adult attachment, sensory processing and persistent pain (v.1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of an attachment prime on sensory processing in a persistent pain population
IRAS ID
218103
Contact name
Hannah Harvey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 29 days
Research summary
Persistent pain (pain experienced after an injury's expected healing time) affects 5 million people every year, but only two-thirds recover. Adult attachment styles (that is, the behaviours, thoughts and feelings that people have towards others that they are close to) have been proposed to play a role in the development and maintenance of persistent pain. Attachment theory suggests that when faced with a threat (e.g. pain) individuals behave in ways that increase their sense of security and safety, for example increasing contact with people/situations that are soothing, and minimising contact with people/situations that intensify distress. We also think it may change how incoming information from the body's senses is processed. We think that some people's attachment styles make them more likely to interpret sensory stimuli (whether internally or externally) as threatening or more intense so they can make sure they keep themselves safe. We want to study this in people with persistent pain. Studies have used attachment primes (a method whereby an individual’s attachment style is activated so that their attachment-related behaviours are observed) to examine the effects of attachment styles on pain tolerance in pain-free samples, but this has not been explored in patients with persistent pain. This study aims to examine whether particular attachment styles are more common in people experiencing persistent pain and whether there are biases in the processing of internal sensory information (heart beat) following an attachment prime. This could come to explain why pain persists in some people, especially around times of stress. Participants will be recruited from a local Pain Management Programme Team. Participation will take about 1 hour and involves completing self-report questionnaires (of mood, anxiety, and pain) and a heart beat perception task before and after watching a video clip that increases the salience of attachment behaviours.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NE/0203
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion