Hang-Bin Zhang, Hang Ou, Dian-Huai Meng, Qian Lu, Lei Zhang, Xi Lu, Zhi-Fei Yin, Chuan He, Ying Shen
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引用次数: 2
Abstract
Background: In recent years, a growing number of researchers showed significant interest in psychological and social interventions to manage chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. Cognitive and emotional empathy is an attractive and valuable sociopsychological factor that may provide protection and resilience against chronic MSK pain. However, its effect on outpatients remains underexplored.
Objective: To compare the empathy ability between chronic MSK pain outpatients and healthy controls and explore the relationship between cognitive/emotional empathy and chronic pain.
Methods: Patients with chronic MSK pain (n = 22) and healthy controls (n = 26) completed the pain assessment and empathy ability task, utilizing a multidimensional empathy assessment tool with satisfactory reliability and validity (i.e., the Chinese version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET-C)).
Results: The data indicated that the chronic MSK pain outpatients had impaired cognitive empathy (i.e., lower squared cognitive empathy accuracy: Student's t = -2.119, P = 0.040, and longer task completion time: Student's t = 3.382, P = 0.002) compared to healthy controls, and cognitive empathy was negatively correlated with pain intensity (r = -0.614, P = 0.002). Further, the impaired cognitive empathy was present in identifying positive, but not negative emotions.
Conclusion: These results indicate that chronic MSK pain is associated with impaired empathy ability. Our studies contribute to offering a potential direction for developing psychosocial interventions to treat chronic MSK pain.
背景:近年来,越来越多的研究人员对慢性肌肉骨骼(MSK)疼痛的心理和社会干预表现出极大的兴趣。认知和情感共情是一种有吸引力和有价值的社会心理学因素,可以为慢性MSK疼痛提供保护和恢复力。然而,它对门诊病人的影响仍未得到充分探讨。目的:比较慢性MSK疼痛门诊患者与健康对照组的共情能力,探讨认知/情感共情与慢性疼痛的关系。方法:慢性MSK疼痛患者(n = 22)和健康对照(n = 26)使用信效度满意的多维共情评估工具(即中文版的Multifaceted empathy Test (MET-C))完成疼痛评估和共情能力任务。结果:与健康对照组相比,慢性MSK疼痛门诊患者的认知共情功能受损(即认知共情准确性的平方较低:Student’s t = -2.119, P = 0.040,任务完成时间较长:Student’s t = 3.382, P = 0.002),认知共情功能与疼痛强度呈负相关(r = -0.614, P = 0.002)。此外,认知共情受损主要表现在积极情绪的识别上,而非消极情绪的识别。结论:慢性MSK疼痛与移情能力受损有关。我们的研究有助于为发展心理社会干预治疗慢性MSK疼痛提供潜在的方向。
期刊介绍:
Neural Plasticity is an international, interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the publication of articles related to all aspects of neural plasticity, with special emphasis on its functional significance as reflected in behavior and in psychopathology. Neural Plasticity publishes research and review articles from the entire range of relevant disciplines, including basic neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, biological psychology, and biological psychiatry.