Altered pain perception and psychosocial features among women with gastrointestinal disorders and history of abuse: a preliminary model.

Objectives: To evaluate the relationships between sexual/physical abuse, pain perception, environmental events, coping strategies, and psychiatric morbidity in a sample of female patients with painful gastrointestinal disorders.

Patients: Fifty paid volunteers from a tertiary care center including 13 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), 26 with noncardiac chest pain (NCCP), and 11 with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Measurements: (1) Sexual and physical abuse interview questions; (2) Structured psychiatric interview; (3) Self-report questionnaires: demographics, clinical pain measurement, Millon Behavioral Health Inventory, Hassles and Uplifts Scales, Sickness Impact Profile, Life Experiences Survey, Pain Beliefs and Perceptions Inventory, and Coping Strategies Questionnaire; (4) Pain Perception and Sensory Decision Theory tasks.

Relaxation training reduces symptom reports and acid exposure in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Background/aims: Previous studies have shown that psychological factors play a role in symptom perception among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. This report describes the first controlled study showing the effects of relaxation training on symptom reports and esophageal acid exposure in patients with reflux disease.

Methods: Twenty subjects with documented reflux disease were studied during psychologically neutral and stressful tasks, followed immediately by either a relaxation or attention-placebo control intervention.