Positive, but not negative, treatment outcome expectancies mediate the relation between depressive symptoms and treatment-related pain reduction.

Previous research has shown that depression is associated with adverse recovery outcomes following work-related musculoskeletal injury. Treatment outcome expectancies have also been shown to predict recovery trajectories following musculoskeletal injury. The present study examined the role of positive and negative treatment outcome expectancies as mediators of the relation between depressive symptoms and treatment outcome for individuals receiving physical therapy for a musculoskeletal injury.

Risk-targeted behavioral activation for the management of work disability associated with comorbid pain and depression: a feasibility study.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility and impact of a risk-targeted behavioral activation intervention for work-disabled individuals with comorbid pain and depression.

Methods: The design of the study was a single-arm non-randomized trial. The sample consisted of 66 work-disabled individuals with comorbid pain and depression.

The relation between perceived injustice and symptom severity in individuals with major depression: A cross-lagged panel study.

Background: Perceived injustice has been associated with problematic recovery outcomes in individuals with debilitating health conditions. However, the relation between perceived injustice and recovery outcomes has not been previously examined in individuals with debilitating mental health conditions. The present study examined the relation between perceived injustice and symptom severity in individuals undergoing treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

The Relationship Between Level of Catastrophizing and Mental Health Comorbidity in Individuals With Whiplash Injuries.

Objectives: Pain catastrophizing has been shown to be correlated with measures of mental health problems such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the clinical implications of findings reported to date remain unclear. To date, no study has been conducted to determine meaningful cut-scores on measures of catastrophizing indicative of the heightened risk of mental health comorbidity.

Clinimetric properties of the Nepali version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale in individuals with chronic pain.

Background: Pain catastrophizing is an exaggerated negative cognitive response related to pain. It is commonly assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). Translation and validation of the scale in a new language would facilitate cross-cultural comparisons of the role that pain catastrophizing plays in patient function.

Cross-sectional and Prospective Correlates of Recovery Expectancies in the Rehabilitation of Whiplash Injury.

Objectives: Investigations have shown that expectancies are significant prognostic indicators of recovery outcomes following whiplash injury. However, little is currently known about the determinants of recovery expectancies following whiplash injury. The purpose of the present study was to examine the cross-sectional and prospective correlates of recovery expectancies in individuals admitted to a rehabilitation program for whiplash injury.

Return to work helps maintain treatment gains in the rehabilitation of whiplash injury.

This study examined the relation between return to work and the maintenance of treatment gains made over the course of a rehabilitation intervention. The study sample consisted of 110 individuals who had sustained whiplash injuries in rear collision motor vehicle accidents and were work-disabled at the time of enrolment in the study. Participants completed pre- and post-treatment measures of pain severity, disability, cervical range of motion, depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and catastrophizing.

Assessing catastrophic thinking associated with debilitating mental health conditions.

Purpose: The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Symptom Catastrophizing Scale (SCS). The SCS items were drawn from the Pain Catastrophizing Scale but were modified to make them better suited to the context of debilitating mental health conditions that are not necessarily associated with pain. The number of items was reduced from 13 to 7, and the response scale was simplified.

The Relation Between Catastrophizing and Occupational Disability in Individuals with Major Depression: Concurrent and Prospective Associations.

Background Catastrophic thinking has been associated with occupational disability in individuals with debilitating pain conditions. The relation between catastrophic thinking and occupational disability has not been previously examined in individuals with debilitating mental health conditions. The present study examined the relation between catastrophic thinking and occupational disability in individuals with major depression.

Sensitivity to Movement-Evoked Pain and Multi-Site Pain are Associated with Work-Disability Following Whiplash Injury: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives Previous research has shown that sensitivity to movement-evoked pain is associated with higher scores on self-report measures of disability in individuals who have sustained whiplash injuries. However, it remains unclear whether sensitivity to movement-evoked pain is associated with work-disability. The aim of the present study was to examine the relation between sensitivity to movement-evoked pain and occupational status in individuals receiving treatment for whiplash injury.

Catastrophizing and pain-related fear predict failure to maintain treatment gains following participation in a pain rehabilitation program.

The present study explored whether pain-related psychosocial risk factors played a role in determining whether treatment gains were maintained following participation in a rehabilitation intervention for musculoskeletal injury. The study sample consisted of 310 individuals (163 women, 147 men) with work-related musculoskeletal conditions who were enrolled in a physical rehabilitation program. Measures of pain severity, pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear were completed at the time of admission and at the time of discharge.

Expectancies Mediate the Relations Among Pain Catastrophizing, Fear of Movement, and Return to Work Outcomes After Whiplash Injury.

Unlabelled: Pain catastrophizing and fear of movement have been identified as key predictors of prolonged work disability after whiplash injury. However, little is known about the processes by which pain catastrophizing and fear of movement affect return to work. This study investigated the mediating role of expectancies on the relations between pain catastrophizing and return to work, and between fear of movement and return to work after whiplash injury.

The Mediating Role of Recovery Expectancies on the Relation Between Depression and Return-to-Work.

Purpose: Depressive symptoms have been identified as a significant risk factor for prolonged disability, however, little is known about the process by which depression impacts recovery following work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs). The primary objective of this study was to examine whether recovery expectancies mediate the relation between depression and return-to-work (RTW) status in individuals with WRMDs.

Methods: A sample of 109 patients with WRMDs were recruited from 1 of 6 primary care physiotherapy clinics.

Catastrophizers with chronic pain display more pain behaviour when in a relationship with a low catastrophizing spouse.

The present study examined the relationship between couple concordance of catastrophizing and adverse pain outcomes. Possible mechanisms underlying the relationship between couple concordance of catastrophizing and pain outcomes were also explored. Fifty-eight couples were recruited for the study.

Norming of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia across pain diagnoses and various countries.

The present study aimed to develop norms for the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), a frequently used measure of fear of movement/(re)injury. Norms were assessed for the TSK total score as well as for scores on the previously proposed TSK activity avoidance and TSK somatic focus scales. Data from Dutch, Canadian, and Swedish pain samples were used (N=3082).

Repetition-induced activity-related summation of pain in patients with fibromyalgia.

This study compared individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) and individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP) on repetition-induced summation of activity-related pain (RISP). Fear of movement, pain catastrophizing and depression were examined as potential mediators of group differences. The sample consisted of 50 women with FM and 50 women with CLBP who were matched on age, pain severity and pain duration.

Judgments about pain intensity and pain genuineness: the role of pain behavior and judgmental heuristics.

Unlabelled: The primary objective of the present study was to examine the relative importance of pain behaviors and judgmental heuristics (eg, gender stereotypes) in observers' inferences about pain intensity and pain genuineness. Participants (n = 90) observed video depictions of chronic pain patients performing a physically challenging task and were asked to make inferences of pain intensity and pain genuineness. Analyses indicated that observers relied on judgmental heuristics and pain behaviors both when making inferences about pain intensity and when making inferences about pain genuineness.

Pain, perceived injustice and the persistence of post-traumatic stress symptoms during the course of rehabilitation for whiplash injuries.

The present study assessed the role of pain and pain-related psychological variables in the persistence of post-traumatic stress symptoms following whiplash injury. Individuals (N=112) with whiplash injuries who had been admitted to a standardized multidisciplinary rehabilitation program were asked to complete measures of pain, post-traumatic stress symptoms, physical function and pain-related psychological variables at three different points during their treatment program. The findings are consistent with previous research showing that indicators of injury severity such as pain, reduced function and disability, and scores on pain-related psychological were associated with more severe post-traumatic stress symptoms in individuals with whiplash injuries.

Darwin and emotion expression.

In his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Charles Darwin (1872/1965) defended the argument that emotion expressions are evolved and adaptive (at least at some point in the past) and serve an important communicative function. The ideas he developed in his book had an important impact on the field and spawned rich domains of inquiry. This article presents Darwin's three principles in this area and then discusses some of the research topics that developed out of his theoretical vision.

Psychological influences on repetition-induced summation of activity-related pain in patients with chronic low back pain.

This study examined the role of pain catastrophizing, fear of movement and depression as determinants of repetition-induced summation of activity-related pain. The sample consisted of 90 (44 women and 46 men) work-disabled individuals with chronic low back pain. Participants were asked to lift a series of 18 canisters that varied according to weight (2.

Children's and adolescents' perception of the authenticity of smiles.

Recently, Thibault and colleagues described the Duchenne marker as a cultural dialect for the perception of smile authenticity. The current study had the goal to follow up on this finding and to investigate the cues that French Canadian children use to evaluate the authenticity of smiles from members of three ethnic groups. The authenticity of six smiles differing in intensity and presence of orbicularis oculi (Duchenne marker) was rated by 1206 children from 4 to 17 years of age.

Individual and relational correlates of pain-related empathic accuracy in spouses of chronic pain patients.

Objective: This study aims to investigate correlates of pain-related empathic accuracy in spouses of chronic pain patients. Specifically, analyses addressed: (1) the correlates of pain-related empathic accuracy, (2) the relation between pain-related empathic accuracy, and patient and spouse adaptational outcomes, and (3) the relation between pain-related empathic accuracy and relational outcomes.

Methods: Fifty-eight chronic pain patients (28 women and 30 men) were filmed while participating in a simulated occupational lifting task.

Validation of a French-Canadian version of the Pain Disability Index.

Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Index de l'incapacité reliée à la douleur, a French-Canadian version of the Pain Disability Index (PDI).

Methods: A total of 176 chronic pain patients (94 women, 82 men) completed the French-Canadian version of the PDI (PDI-CF), as well as other pain-related measures. A subset of 52 patients (27 women, 25 men) also completed a lifting task designed to assess physical tolerance and pain behaviour.

Psychological predictors of pain expression and activity intolerance in chronic pain patients.

Recent research suggests that communicative and protective pain behaviors represent functionally distinct subsystems of behavior associated with pain. The present research examined whether components of pain experience such as pain severity, catastrophizing and fear of pain were differentially associated with communicative and protective pain behaviors. It was predicted that pain severity would be associated with decreased physical tolerance and heightened expression of pain behavior.