Understanding pain catastrophizing: Putting pieces together
Open accessAbstract
The present narrative review addresses issues concerning the defining criteria and conceptual underpinnings of pain catastrophizing. To date, the concept of pain catastrophizing has been extensively used in many clinical and experimental contexts and it is considered as one of the most important psychological correlate of pain chronicity and disability. Although its extensive use, we are still facing important problems related to its defining criteria and conceptual understanding. At present, there is no general theoretical agreement of what catastrophizing really is. The lack of a consensus on its definition and conceptual issues has important consequences on the choice of the pain management approaches, defining and identifying problems, and promoting novel research. Clinical and research work in absence of a common theoretical ground is often trivial. It is very surprising that clinical and experimental work has grown extensively in the past years, without a common ground in the form of a clear definition of pain catastrophizing and overview of its conceptual basis. Improving the efficacy and efficiency of pan catastrophizing related treatments requires an understanding of the theoretical construct. So far, most interventions have only demonstrated modest effects in reducing pain catastrophizing. Therefore, clarifying the construct may be an important precursor for developing more targeted and effective interventions, thereby easing some of the burden related to this aspect of pain. In our review, we have extracted and de-constructed common elements that emerge from different theoretical models with the aim to understand the concept of catastrophizing, which components can be modulated by psychological interventions, and the general role in pain processing. The analysis of the literature has indicated essential key elements to explain pain catastrophizing: emotional regulation, catastrophic worry (as repetitive negative thinking), rumination, behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation (BIS/BAS) systems, and interoceptive sensitivity. The present paper attempts to integrate these key elements with the aim to re-compose and unify the concept within a modern biopsychosocial interpretation of catastrophizing.
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Catastrophizing thoughts about pain are associated with increased pain intensity and severity, disability, emotional distress, healthcare utilization, pain medication use, and poorer outcomes following surgery.
“A recent review of the literature has demonstrated that catastrophizing thoughts about pain are associated with increased pain intensity and severity, disability, emotional distress, healthcare utilization, pain medication use, and poorer outcomes following surgery (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020).”
From Increasing Occupational Engagement by Addressing Psychosocial and Occupational Factors of Chronic Pain: A Case Report. (2022) · cites this paper as Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020
In “Setting the Scene” (page not specified), the review links pain catastrophizing with greater pain intensity and severity, emotional distress, healthcare utilization, disability, and worse outcomes after surgery. The passage does not mention increased pain medication use, so that part of the attributed claim is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.89)
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Effects of catastrophizing on pain perception and pain modulation
Weissman-Fogel, I., Sprecher, E., & Pud, D. (2008) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-007-1206-7 · Cited by 214 · cited 1× · see citing works
“In addition, suppression was found to mediate the relationship between negative affect and pain catastrophizing (Wong and Fielding, 2013).”
BackgroundThorn, B. E., Pence, L. B., Ward, L. C., Kilgo, G., Clements, K. L., Cross, T. H., Davis, A. M., & Tsui, P. W. (2007) · The Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2007.06.010 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
The Fear Avoidance Model Disentangled: Improving the Clinical Utility of the Fear Avoidance Model
Pincus, T., Smeets, R., Simmonds, M. J., & Sullivan, M. J. L. (2010) · Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0b013e3181f15d45 · Cited by 201 · see citing works
Jensen, M. P., & Turk, D. C. (2014) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/a0035641 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Spontaneous cognitive strategies for the control of clinical pain and stress
Chaves, J. F., & Brown, J. M. (1987) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/bf00846540 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
Academic Medicine and Concierge Practice
Larochelle, M. R., Liebschutz, J., Zhang, F., Ross-Degnan, D., & Wharam, J. (2016) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/l16-0103 · Cited by 175 · cited 1×
“However, people with highly sensitive BAS are particularly vulnerable to the development of addictive behaviors (Pardo et al., 2007).”
BackgroundPlacebo and Nocebo Effects: The Advantage of Measuring Expectations and Psychological Factors
Corsi, N., & Colloca, L. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00308 · Cited by 170 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Additionally, it could account for inconsistent findings when relating BIS scale to placebo and nocebo effects (Corsi and Colloca, 2017).”
BackgroundDavey, G. C. L., & Levy, S. (1998) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-843x.107.4.576 · Cited by 153 · cited 2× · see citing works
“In order to develop efficient interventions that achieve the best treatment outcome, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms and the potential factors that are behind therapeutic procedures (Day et al., 2012).”
BackgroundA Transdiagnostic Approach to Pain and Emotion
Linton, S. J. (2013) · Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research · doi:10.1111/jabr.12007 · Cited by 149 · cited 9× · see citing works
“Strategies for pain control also include distraction, reappraisal, withdrawal/avoidance, self-reward, and suppression (Linton, 2013).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialRuminative coping as avoidance
Stroebe, M., Boelen, P. A., van den Hout, M., Stroebe, W., Salemink, E., & van den Bout, J. (2007) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-007-0746-y · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Pain catastrophizing as repetitive negative thinking: A development of the conceptualization
Flink, I. L., Boersma, K., & Linton, S. J. (2013) · Cognitive Behaviour Therapy · doi:10.1080/16506073.2013.769621 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Thought Suppression, Catastrophizing, and Pain
Sullivan, M., Rouse, D. L., Bishop, S. R., & Johnston, S. (1997) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1023/a:1021809519002 · Cited by 136 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Efforts to suppress pain-related thoughts either during or prior to pain had the unintended effect of increasing reports of pain severity in comparison with individuals who did not attempt to suppress pain (Cioffi and Holloway, 1993; Sullivan, 1997).”
ResultCatastrophizing, anxiety and pain during dental hygiene treatment
Sullivan, M. J. L., & Neish, N. R. (1998) · Community Dentistry And Oral Epidemiology · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0528.1998.tb01971.x · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Green, S., Frey, B., Donegan, E., & McCabe, R. (2018) · Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression During Pregnancy and Beyond · doi:10.4324/9781315452494-9 · Cited by 130 · cited 7×
“From the BIS–BAS perspective, it has been suggested that catastrophizing could reflect the BIS-related cognitive content and process (Jensen et al., 2016).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialPsychopathology and thought suppression: A quantitative review
Magee, J. C., Harden, K. P., & Teachman, B. A. (2012) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.01.001 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Hirshfeld‐Becker, D. R., Micco, J. A., Henin, A., Bloomfield, A., Biederman, J., & Rosenbaum, J. F. (2008) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.20490 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Pain Psychology: A Global Needs Assessment and National Call to Action
Darnall, B., Scheman, J., Davin, S., Burns, J., Murphy, J. L., Wilson, A. C., Kerns, R., & Mackey, S. (2016) · Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · doi:10.1093/pm/pnv095 · Cited by 125 · cited 5× · see citing works
“The concept of catastrophic worry was inspired by the literature on anxiety disorders Frontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org 3 December 2020 | Volume 11 | Article 603420 (Borkovec et al., 1983; Davey and Levy, 1998) and combined with new advances in pain research.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialAn integrative review of the influence of expectancies on pain
Peerdeman, K. J., Laarhoven, A. I. M. V., Peters, M. L., & Evers, A. W. M. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01270 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Olatunji, B. O., Deacon, B. J., Abramowitz, J. S., & Valentiner, D. P. (2007) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2006.09.002 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Rumination, Magnification, and Helplessness
Craner, J. R., Gilliam, W. P., & Sperry, J. A. (2016) · Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0000000000000355 · Cited by 114 · cited 1× · see citing works
“It has been suggested that this experience is phenomenologically similar to worrying, where no immediate solution is available (Crombez et al., 2012).”
BackgroundBurns, J. W., Day, M. A., & Thorn, B. E. (2012) · Translational Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s13142-011-0086-3 · Cited by 112 · cited 4× · see citing works
“(Burns et al., 2012).”
BackgroundInfluentialCatastrophic Thinking: A Transdiagnostic Process Across Psychiatric Disorders
Gellatly, R., & Beck, A. T. (2016) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-016-9763-3 · Cited by 112 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Catastrophizing has been suggested as a transdiagnostic construct identified across different disorders (Linton, 2013; Gellatly and Beck, 2016).”
BackgroundLet’s talk about pain catastrophizing measures: an item content analysis
Crombez, G., Paepe, A. L. D., Veirman, E., Eccleston, C., Verleysen, G., & Ryckeghem, D. M. L. V. (2020) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.8643 · Cited by 108 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Regrettably, surveys are showing that although medical providers are recognizing the value of the biopsychosocial model of pain treatment, they appear to be lacking in operationalizing this model in their practice (Darnall et al., 2016, 2017).”
BackgroundMarkarian, S. A., Pickett, S. M., Deveson, D. F., & Kanona, B. B. (2013) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2013.06.004 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
What do chronic pain patients think of their pain? Towards a pain cognition questionnaire.
Vlaeyen, J., Geurts, S., Kole-Snijders, A. M. J., Schuerman, J., Groenman, N., & van Eek, H. (1990) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.1990.tb00901.x · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Alcohol use as a behavioural sign of disinhibition: Evidence from J.A. Gray's model of personality
Pardo, Y., Aguilar, R., Molinuevo, B., & Torrúbia, R. (2007) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2007.02.010 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Lackner, J. M., & Quigley, B. M. (2004) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2004.06.018 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Pain beliefs, coping, and adjustment to chronic pain
Geisser, M. E., Robinson, M. E., & Riley, J. L. (1999) · Pain Forum · doi:10.1016/s1082-3174(99)70001-2 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Worry and chronic pain patients: a description and analysis of individual differences
Eccleston, C., Crombez, G., Aldrich, S., & Stannard, C. (2001) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1053/eujp.2001.0252 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Targeted treatment of catastrophizing for the management of chronic pain
Thorn, B. E., Boothby, J. L., & Sullivan, M. J. L. (2002) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/s1077-7229(02)80006-2 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Darnall, B. D., Carr, D. B., & Schatman, M. E. (2016) · Pain Medicine · doi:10.1093/pm/pnw166 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Anxious self-talk: Development of the Anxious Self-Statements Questionnaire (ASSQ)
Kendall, P., & Hollon, S. (1989) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/bf01178491 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Somatization symptoms in chronic low back pain patients.
Bacon, N., Bacon, S., Atkinson, J. H., Slater, M., Patterson, T., Grant, I., & Garfin, S. (1994) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-199403000-00007 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Høvik, L. H., Winther, S. B., Foss, O. A., & Gjeilo, K. H. (2016) · BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders · doi:10.1186/s12891-016-1073-0 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Berardis, D. D., Campanella, D., Gambi, F., Rovere, R. L., Sepede, G., Core, L., Canfora, G., Santilli, E., Valchera, A., Mancini, E., et al. (2007) · Psychosomatics · doi:10.1176/appi.psy.48.3.239 · Cited by 84 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…shown that catastrophizing is related to higher levels of pain and suffering (Lackner and Quigley, 2005), increased need for medical advice, greater health-care utilization (de Boer et al., 2012), increased disability (Picavet et al., 2002), and worse outcome after surgery (Hovik et al., 2016).”
BackgroundCatastrophic misinterpretations as a predictor of symptom change during treatment for panic disorder
Teachman, B., Marker, C., & Clerkin, E. M. (2010) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0021067 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
De Vlieger, P., Crombez, G., & Eccleston, C. (2006) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2005.10.022 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Catastrophizing predicts changes in thermal pain responses after resolution of acute dental pain
Edwards, R. R., Fillingim, R. B., Maixner, W. D., Sigurðsson, Á., & Haythornthwaite, J. A. (2004) · Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2004.02.226 · Cited by 80 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Repetitive negative thinking is defined as a style of thinking about one’s problems (current, past or future) or negative experience (past or anticipated) that is repetitive, at least partly intrusive, and is difficult to disengage from (Ehring and Watkins, 2008; Ehring et al., 2011).”
BackgroundAssessing cognitive coping strategies for acute postsurgical pain.
Butler, R. W., Damarin, F. L., Beaulieu, C. L., Schwebel, A. I., & Thorn, B. E. (1989) · Psychological Assessment · doi:10.1037/1040-3590.1.1.41 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Jensen, M. P., Ehde, D. M., & Day, M. A. (2016) · The Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2016.02.001 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Slepian, P. M., Ankawi, B., & France, C. R. (2019) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1093/abm/kaz051 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
The Experience of Cognitive Intrusion of Pain
Attridge, N., Crombez, G., Ryckeghem, D. M. L. V., Keogh, E., & Eccleston, C. (2015) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000257 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Advancing psychological therapies for chronic pain
Eccleston, C., & Crombez, G. (2017) · F1000Research · doi:10.12688/f1000research.10612.1 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Hazlett-Stevens, H., & Craske, M. (2003) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s1352465803004016 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Meyer, T., & Hofmann, B. (2005) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa8503_08 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Non‐organic symptom reporting in patients with chronic non‐malignant pain
Ciccone, D. S., Just, N., & Bandilla, E. (1996) · Pain · doi:10.1016/s0304-3959(96)03216-2 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Catastrophizing delays the analgesic effect of distraction
Campbell, C. M., Witmer, K., Simango, M., Carteret, A. F., Loggia, M. L., Campbell, J. N., Haythornthwaite, J. A., & Edwards, R. R. (2010) · Pain · doi:10.1016/j.pain.2009.11.012 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
The Continuing Evolution of Biopsychosocial Interventions for Chronic Pain
Day, M. A., Thorn, B. E., & Burns, J. W. (2012) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/0889-8391.26.2.114 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Personality and Temperament Correlates of Pain Catastrophizing in Young Adolescents
Muris, P., Meesters, C. M. G., van der Hout, A., Wessels, S., Franken, I. H. A., & Rassin, E. (2007) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-007-0054-9 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Reward responsiveness in patients with chronic pain
Elvemo, N.-A. L., Landrø, N. I., Borchgrevink, P. C., & Haberg, A. K. (2015) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.687 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Pain‐related catastrophizing in pain patients and people with pain in the general population
Boer, M., Struys, M., & Versteegen, G. (2012) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00136.x · Cited by 56 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Individuals show trait differences in the activity of the two systems (De Pascalis et al., 2013), which can explain alteration in emotional regulation and in the tendency to catastrophize.”
Background(2020) · Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_302236 · Cited by 48 · cited 1×
“Repetitive negative thinking is defined as a style of thinking about one’s problems (current, past or future) or negative experience (past or anticipated) that is repetitive, at least partly intrusive, and is difficult to disengage from (Ehring and Watkins, 2008; Ehring et al., 2011).”
BackgroundPain beliefs and coping attempts
Thorn, B., Rich, M. A., & Boothby, J. (1999) · Pain Forum · doi:10.1016/s1082-3174(99)70002-4 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Catastrophizing, pain, and pain interference in individuals with disabilities
Hirsh, A. T., Bockow, T. B., & Jensen, M. P. (2011) · American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation · doi:10.1097/phm.0b013e31822409b2 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory
Walsh, A. (2018) · doi:10.4324/9780429428234 · Cited by 45 · cited 2×
“Jensen’s model (Jensen et al., 2016) is based on measures of BIS (Carver and White, 1994), that lacks separation between BIS-anxiety and FFFS-fear (fightflight-freezing-system) (Corr and Cooper, 2016; De Pascalis et al., 2019).”
BackgroundMethodTraxler, J., Hanssen, M. M., Lautenbacher, S., Ottawa, F., & Peters, M. L. (2018) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.1294 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy: Albert Ellis
Dryden, W., & Bond, F. W. (1994) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.165.1.131 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Merchán-Clavellino, A., Alameda-Bailén, J., García, A. Z., & Guil, R. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00424 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Thinking about Thinking about Pain: A Qualitative Investigation of Rumination in Chronic Pain
Edwards, M. J., Tang, N. K. Y., Wright, A., Salkovskis, P. M., & Timberlake, C. M. (2011) · Pain Management · doi:10.2217/pmt.11.29 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Gilliam, W. P., Burns, J. W., Quartana, P. J., Matsuura, J. T., Nappi, C. M., & Wolff, B. (2010) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-009-9245-0 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
The Role of Pain Catastrophizing in Experimental Pain Perception
Kristiansen, F. L., Olesen, A. E., Brock, C., Gazerani, P., Petrini, L., Mogil, J. S., & Drewes, A. M. (2013) · Pain Practice · doi:10.1111/papr.12150 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Self-citationMetacognition, perseverative thinking, and pain catastrophizing: A moderated‐mediation analysis
Schütze, R., Rees, C. S., Smith, A. J., Slater, H., & O’Sullivan, P. (2019) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.1479 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Reinforcement sensitivity theory predicts positive and negative affect in daily life
Hundt, N. E., Brown, L. H., Kimbrel, N. A., Walsh, M. A., Nelson‐Gray, R. O., & Kwapil, T. R. (2012) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2012.09.021 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Anderson, C. M. (2001) · Family Process · doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2001.4030100245.x · Cited by 37 · cited 2×
“In order to develop efficient interventions that achieve the best treatment outcome, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms and the potential factors that are behind therapeutic procedures (Day et al., 2012).”
BackgroundKoenig, J., Kooning, M. D., Bernardi, A., Williams, D. P., Nijs, J., Thayer, J. F., & Daenen, L. (2015) · Pain Practice · doi:10.1111/papr.12399 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Quartana, P. J., Burns, J. W., & Lofland, K. R. (2007) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-007-9101-z · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Goal specification in cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic headache pain
James, L., Thorn, B., & Williams, D. A. (1993) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7894(05)80271-0 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Maack, D. J., Tull, M. T., & Gratz, K. L. (2012) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2012.05.005 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Serrano-Ibáñez, E., Ramírez-Maestre, C., López-Martínez, A. E., Esteve, R., Ruíz-Párraga, G., & Jensen, M. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00394 · Cited by 31 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Results from a recent study show that chronic pain individuals with higher BIS use suppression techniques (Serrano-Ibáñez et al., 2018).”
BackgroundInfluentialCatastrophizing research: Avoiding conceptual errors and maintaining a balanced perspective
Keefe, F., Lefebvre, J. C., & Smith, S. (1999) · Pain Forum · doi:10.1016/s1082-3174(99)70004-8 · Cited by 30 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Several theoretical constructs have been proposed for pain catastrophizing, and initiated a debate on whether it should have been considered a coping strategy (Keefe et al., 1999), an appraisal model (Haythornthwaite and Heinberg, 1999; Thorn et al.”
BackgroundSchütze, R., Rees, C., Slater, H., Smith, A., & O'Sullivan, P. (2017) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjhp.12240 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Pain intensity, headache frequency, and the behavioral activation and inhibition systems
Jensen, M. P., Tan, G., & Chua, S. M. (2015) · The Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0000000000000215 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Suppression of Emotion Expression Mediates the Effects of Negative Affect on Pain Catastrophizing
Wong, W. S., & Fielding, R. (2013) · Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0b013e31827da3b5 · Cited by 27 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Other studies have also found associations between BIS and emotion regulation difficulties (Markarian et al., 2013; Zohreh and Ghazal, 2018).”
BackgroundHaythornthwaite, J. A., & Heinberg, L. J. (1999) · Pain Forum · doi:10.1016/s1082-3174(99)70003-6 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Measuring pain: An introspective look at introspection
Nakamura, Y., & Chapman, C. R. (2002) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/s1053-8100(02)00019-3 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
The influence of reward sensitivity, heart rate dynamics and EEG‐delta activity on placebo analgesia
Pascalis, V. D., & Scacchia, P. (2019) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2018.11.014 · Cited by 24 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Recent research is highlighting intriguing possibilities (Jensen et al., 2015a; Deschênes et al., 2016; Koenig et al., 2016; De Pascalis and Scacchia, 2019).”
BackgroundPain catastrophizing: an historical perspective
Neblett, R. (2017) · Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research · doi:10.1111/jabr.12086 · Cited by 21 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Early Pain Research: Interpreting Catastrophizing in Pain In early pain research, there was an interest in investigating factors responsible for variability in pain responses among individuals subjected to an identical nociceptive stimulus (Neblett, 2017).”
BackgroundBorgne, M. L., Boudoukha, A. H., Petit, A., & Roquelaure, Y. (2017) · Scandinavian Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.sjpain.2017.08.008 · Cited by 20 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Specifically, they seem to not be able to accept negative emotions (Salters-Pedneault et al., 2006) and as a consequence they show an increase in negative affect and dysfunctional beliefs (Le Borgne et al., 2017).”
BackgroundPain Catastrophizing and EEG-α Asymmetry
Jensen, M. P., Gianas, A., Sherlin, L. H., & Howe, J. D. (2014) · Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0000000000000182 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Serrano-Ibáñez, E. R., Ramírez-Maestre, C., Esteve, R., & López-Martínez, A. E. (2019) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1581013 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Jensen, M. P., Ward, L., Thorn, B. E., Ehde, D., & Day, M. (2017) · The Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0000000000000407 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Breivik, H., Reme, S., & Linton, S. (2014) · Scandinavian Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.sjpain.2013.11.004 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
An evaluation of the behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation system (BIS-BAS) model of pain.
Day, M. A., Matthews, N. L., Newman, A., Mattingley, J. B., & Jensen, M. P. (2019) · Rehabilitation Psychology · doi:10.1037/rep0000274 · Cited by 18 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Patients with increased anxiety sensitivity generally report hypervigilance for somatic sensations (De Berardis et al., 2007; Olatunji et al., 2007; Anderson and Hope, 2009).”
BackgroundThe relationships between worry, happiness and pain catastrophizing in the experience of acute pain
Lefebvre, J. C., & Jensen, M. P. (2019) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.1405 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Pascalis, V. D., Scacchia, P., Papi, B., & Corr, P. J. (2019) · Personality Neuroscience · doi:10.1017/pen.2019.9 · Cited by 17 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Likewise, a study from De Vlieger et al. (2006) supports the idea that worry is a common feature in chronic pain patients.”
BackgroundDeschênes, S. S., Dugas, M. J., & Gouin, J. (2015) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.11.015 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Personality differences in suppression of behavior as a function of the probability of punishment
Ávila, C., & Torrubia, R. (2006) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2005.12.019 · Cited by 16 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Based on the association of BIS with behavioral inhibition and withdrawal, new studies are also supporting a relationship between pain and BIS (Jensen et al., 2017), and BIS and threat detection (Ávila and Torrubia, 2006).”
BackgroundThe behavioral inhibition and activation systems and function in patients with chronic pain
Serrano-Ibáñez, E. R., López-Martínez, A. E., Ramírez-Maestre, C., Esteve, R., & Jensen, M. P. (2019) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2018.09.021 · Cited by 15 · cited 1× · see citing works
“For example, Lefebvre et al. (2017) demonstrated that a manipulation of emotions had significant effects on the experience of worry about pain, and that a direct manipulation of pain-related worry increased pain intensity (Lefebvre and Jensen, 2019).”
BackgroundSj, B. C. (2014) · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199664153.013.29 · Cited by 14 · cited 1×
“Current pain research supports the importance of integrating psychological factors in these frameworks (Jensen and Turk, 2014).”
BackgroundSchütze, R., Rees, C. S., Smith, A. J., Slater, H., Catley, M. J., & O’Sullivan, P. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00910 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Becerra-García, J. A., & Robles Jurado, M. J. (2014) · International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases · doi:10.1111/1756-185x.12034 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Schütze, R. (2016) · Clinical Psychologist · doi:10.1111/cp.12105 · Cited by 9 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Recent studies support the importance of the metacognitive aspect of rumination when characterizing pain catastrophizing (Schütze, 2016; Schütze et al., 2020).”
ResultBehavioral Systems and Difficulty with Emotional Regulation Predict Adolescents’ Addiction Potential
Zohreh, A., & Ghazal, Z. (2018) · Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse · doi:10.1080/1067828x.2018.1474824 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
The Effects of Manipulating Worry and Happiness on the Experience of Acute Pain and Worry about Pain
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“Since HRV has been suggested as an index of functional integrity of the neural networks implicated in the emotioncognitive interaction (Park and Thayer, 2014) and self-regulatory capacity (Butler et al., 2006), we hypothesize that catastrophic worry individuals will have a lower HRV associated with hypervigilant and m…”
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Tidmarsh, L. V., Harrison, R. N., Ravindran, D., Matthews, S. L., & Finlay, K. A. (2022) · Frontiers in Pain Research · doi:10.3389/fpain.2022.923866 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Chronic Stress and Headaches: The Role of the HPA Axis and Autonomic Nervous System
Sič, A., Bogicevic, M., Brezić, N., Nemr, C., & Knežević, N. N. (2025) · Biomedicines · doi:10.3390/biomedicines13020463 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
“Increased SNS-driven amygdala activity and reduced PNS-mediated prefrontal regulation contribute to heightened pain sensitivity and emotional distress, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that worsens headache symptoms [26,37].”
Vieira, W. F., Coelho, D. R. A., Litwiler, S. T., McEachern, K. M., Clancy, J. A., Morales-Quezada, L., & Cassano, P. (2024) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105673 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Pain Catastrophizing: How Far Have We Come
Simić, K., Savic, B., & Knežević, N. N. (2024) · Neurology International · doi:10.3390/neurolint16030036 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
“Over the past few decades, research into pain catastrophizing has been increasingly popularized due to the recognition of the crucial role it plays in modifying the experiences of pain and its management [4].”
BackgroundPain Catastrophizing: Controversies, Misconceptions and Future Directions
Sullivan, M. J. L., & Tripp, D. A. (2023) · Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2023.07.004 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Saxer, F., Hollinger, A., Bjurström, M. F., Conaghan, P. G., Neogi, T., Schieker, M., & Berenbaum, F. (2024) · Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open · doi:10.1016/j.ocarto.2023.100433 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“While there are diagnostic criteria and tools to identify and grade anxiety and depression, a consensus regarding how to measure catastrophizing has not yet been reached [76].”
BackgroundYe, Z.-L., Wei, X., Zhang, J., Li, H., & Cao, J.-G. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04613-1 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“The previous studies have examples that when catastrophizing thoughts occur repeatedly, people will delve into many irrational thoughts that consider some-thing much worse than reality (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020; Quartana et al., 2009).”
Pain, from perception to action: A computational perspective
Chen, Z. S., & Wang, J. (2022) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.105707 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“43 A mismatch between prediction and sensory inputs generates a surprise signal representing prediction error (PE), which further drives aversive learning associated with nociception, resulting in both adaptive and maladaptive action.”
BackgroundThompson, O. J., Powell-Roach, K. L., Taylor, J. L., Terry, E. L., & Booker, S. Q. (2022) · Nursing · doi:10.1097/01.nurse.0000823252.50782.45 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Fang, S., & Ding, D. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1069748 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
A Randomized Controlled Neuroimaging Trial of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Fibromyalgia Pain
Lee, J., Lazaridou, A., Paschali, M., Loggia, M. L., Berry, M. P., Ellingsen, D., Isenburg, K., Anzolin, A., Grahl, A., Wasan, A. D., et al. (2023) · Arthritis & Rheumatology · doi:10.1002/art.42672 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“35,46,47 Interestingly, during pain catastrophizing at baseline, vPCC (which was activated by the catastrophizing task) reduced its connectivity to other nodes of the DMN (eg, PC, mPFC) and increased its connectivity to SLN regions (eg, aINS, aMCC).”
BackgroundEkberg, E., Nilsson, I., Michelotti, A., Al‐Khotani, A., Alstergren, P. J., Conti, P. C. R., Durham, J., Goulet, J., Hirsch, C., Kalaykova, S., et al. (2023) · Journal of Oral Rehabilitation · doi:10.1111/joor.13488 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
“Pain cata-strophizing is considered an important psychological correlate of pain chronicity and disability, 79,80 and catastrophic thinking about pain also occurs in adolescents and is a determinant of adjustment to pain.”
BackgroundPain is Not a “thing”: How That Error Affects Language and Logic in Pain Medicine
Cohen, M. L., Weisman, A., & Quintner, J. L. (2022) · Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2022.03.235 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Diller, S. J., Stenzel, L.-C., & Passmore, J. (2024) · Human Resource Development International · doi:10.1080/13678868.2024.2375934 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“For instance, long-term avoidance behaviours associated with BIS activation can impair physical functioning, weaken individuals, and contribute to negative mood states that may contribute towards depression (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020).”
Pain catastrophizing in rheumatic diseases: prevalence, origin, and implications
Wilk, M., Zimba, O., Haugeberg, G., & Korkosz, M. (2024) · Rheumatology International · doi:10.1007/s00296-024-05583-8 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Wilk, M., Łosińska, K., Pripp, A., Korkosz, M., & Haugeberg, G. (2022) · Rheumatology International · doi:10.1007/s00296-021-05070-4 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Hertel, E., Arendt‐Nielsen, L., Olesen, A. E., Andersen, M. S., & Petersen, K. K. (2024) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003194 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Self-citationSensing the body matters: profiles of interoceptive sensibility in chronic pain adjustment
Oliveira, I., Garrido, M. V., Carvalho, H., & Bernardes, S. F. (2023) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003032 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Alcon, C. A., Bergman, E., Humphrey, J., Patel, R. M., & Wang-Price, S. S. (2023) · Pain Research and Management · doi:10.1155/2023/5851450 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Because the total PCS score can be impacted by its individual domains, it is important to consider the weight of those subdomains as well [9].”
BackgroundInfluentialAnagnostopoulos, F., Paraponiari, A., & Kafetsios, K. G. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings · doi:10.1007/s10880-022-09921-5 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
“It is characterized by a tendency to ruminate on aspects of the painful experiences, exaggerate the threat value of the pain sensation, and adopt a helpless orientation toward pain (Bishop & Warr, 2003; Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020; Slepian et al., 2020; Sullivan et al., 1995).”
BackgroundExperiences of patients with advanced cancer coping with chronic pain: a qualitative analysis
Xia, W., Ou, M., Chen, Y., Chen, F., Yan, M., Xiao, Z., & Xu, X. (2024) · BMC Palliative Care · doi:10.1186/s12904-024-01418-2 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“Rumination occurs when an individual repeatedly thinks about the same things, which often hinders a person’s ability to suppress thoughts, generate alternative ways of thinking, or move on [35].”
BackgroundAsefirad, A., & Wippert, P. (2024) · Frontiers in Pain Research · doi:10.3389/fpain.2024.1266974 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pelvic Pain: What Is It and Does It Work?
Lackner, J. M., Clemens, J. Q., Radziwon, C. D., Danforth, T. L., Ablove, T. S., Krasner, S. S., Vargovich, A. M., O’Leary, P. C., Marotto, T., & Naliboff, B. D. (2024) · The Journal of Urology · doi:10.1097/ju.0000000000003847 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“57 This review focuses on CBT as it applies to UCPPS because it is the most studied and empirically validated psychological treatment for chronic pain.”
BackgroundFactors affecting caregiver burden among parents of children with cancer: A path analysis
Heller, N., & Melnikov, S. (2024) · Journal of Clinical Nursing · doi:10.1111/jocn.17202 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“…critical components essential for understanding pain cata-strophizing, including emotional regulation, catastrophic worry (characterised by repetitive negative thinking), rumination, behavioural inhibition and activation systems, and interoceptive sensitivity (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020 ).”
Scholz, C., Schmigalle, P., Plessen, C. Y., Liegl, G., Vajkoczy, P., Praßer, F., Rose, M., & Obbarius, A. (2023) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.2221 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“Due to recent evidence, pain catastrophizing will likely attract further attention in the field, which will lead to additional evidence on whether self-management interventions are effective for reducing pain catastrophizing (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020).”
BackgroundPascalis, V. D., & Vecchio, A. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-10071-9 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Takashima, K., Oono, Y., Takagi, S., Wang, K.-L., Arendt-Nielsen, L., & Kohase, H. (2022) · PAIN Reports · doi:10.1097/pr9.0000000000000989 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“The pain catastrophizing scale(19,40,41) represents a cognitive aspect of pain,(19) and its different components, individual interactions, and how catastrophizing can be modeled have recently been reviewed.(32) Catastrophizing is associated with heightened pain intensity in clinical and experimental studies(42)”
BackgroundSelf-citationAsymmetric Lateralization during Pain Processing
Roza, C., & Martínez-Padilla, A. B. (2021) · Symmetry · doi:10.3390/sym13122416 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“pain, feeling of helplessness, and magnification of ongoing or future pain) interferes with normal body movements and correlates with pain-related disabilities [34].”
BackgroundIs It Time to Revisit the Role of Interleukin-1 Inhibitors in Osteoarthritis?
Brom, M., Saxer, F., Mindeholm, L., Schieker, M., & Conaghan, P. G. (2025) · Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity · doi:10.2147/dmso.s520465 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
The role of catastrophizing in chronic cyclical pelvic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Rabinowitz, E. P., Sayer, M. A., & Delahanty, D. L. (2023) · Women s Health · doi:10.1177/17455057231199949 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Furlong, L. V., López‐Gómez, I., Gutiérrez, L., Écija, C., Catalá, P., & Peñacoba, C. (2021) · Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0000000000001010 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Leccese, A., Severo, M., Ventriglio, A., Petrocchi, S., Limone, P., & Petito, A. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13060581 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“However, the evidence supports the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic approaches that aim to reduce catastrophizing and enhance resilience, adopting a biopsychosocial perspective [11].”
InfluentialSharif-Nia, H., Froelicher, E., Shafighi, A., Osborne, J., Fatehi, R., Nowrozi, P., & Mohammadi, B. (2024) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-024-01884-6 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“Also, PCS focuses on catastrophic thinking related to pain and emphasizes negative and exaggerated beliefs about pain [51].”
BackgroundTranslating the Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Model into Nursing Practice.
Umberger, W., & Wilson, M. (2024) · Pain Management Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pmn.2023.12.008 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Moreira, M. D. F., Gamboa, O. L., & Oliveira, M. A. P. (2023) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.2149 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“PC is a form of maladaptive coping characterized by the tendency to magnify the threat value of pain, added to the inability to inhibit pain-related thoughts and feelings of helplessness (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020).”
BackgroundRoger, A. H., Gudleski, G., Quigley, B., Zvolensky, M. J., & Lackner, J. (2023) · The Behavior Therapist · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2023.01.004 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Lee, J. C., Kubiak, C. A., Best, C. S. W., Hamill, J. B., Ki, J., Kim, H. M., Roth, R. S., Kozlow, J. H., Tinney, M. J., Geisser, M. E., et al. (2025) · Annals of Surgery Open · doi:10.1097/as9.0000000000000535 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“27 It consists of 3 dimensions (rumination, magnification, and helplessness) of negative cognitive processes and is evaluated by the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS).”
The impact of rumination on fibromyalgia pain after physical activity: an experimental study
das Neves, J. F., Kornacka, M., Serra, E., Rollin, N., Kosinski, T., Maréchal, V., Jehel, L., & Rusinek, S. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-47414-z · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Korkut, S., Ülker, T., & Saatçi, G. (2023) · Pain Management Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pmn.2023.09.004 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Out of the mouth of babes: a lot about pain has nothing to do with pain.
Riddell, R. P. P., Jasim, S., & Hamwi, L. (2022) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002761 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Ledesma, S. N., Pruimboom, L., Lluch, E., Dueñas, L., Horno, S. M.-D., & González-Muñoz, A. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph191811610 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Surprisingly, the results showed that other types of interventions, such as physical exercise or the combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and physical exercise, also reduced the symptoms suggesting that a treatment with such heterogeneity makes it difficult to show conclusive results [33].”
ResultRider, J. V., & Tay, M. C. (2022) · The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.15453/2168-6408.2027 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and pain outcomes among older adults with chronic orofacial pain
LaRowe, L. R., Bakhshaie, J., Vranceanu, A.-M., & Greenberg, J. (2024) · Journal of behavioral medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-024-00473-7 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“Indeed, anxiety often leads people to focus on the negative aspects of a situation and expect the worst outcome (Ellis, 1962; Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020), and, thus, may increase risk for pain catastrophizing.”
Efficacy of an environmental enrichment intervention for endometriosis: a pilot study
Hoyos, G. D., Ramos-Sostre, D. I., Torres-Reverón, A., Barros-Cartagena, B., López-Rodríguez, V., Nieves-Vázquez, C. I., Santiago-Saavedra, F., Appleyard, C. B., Castro, E., & Flores, I. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1225790 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Trudel, P., & Cormier, S. (2023) · Psychology, Health & Medicine · doi:10.1080/13548506.2023.2240073 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“This is relevant from a clinical perspective as pain catastrophizing is widely recognized as a critical determinant of how individuals adapt to their pain condition (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020).”
BackgroundDewitte, M., & Meulders, A. (2023) · Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2022.2164242 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“…catastrophizing (more recently defined as catastrophic worrying) which refers to the tendency to magnify the threat value of a pain stimulus, feel helpless in the context of pain, and being unable to inhibit pain-related thoughts in response to a painful encounter (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020).”
BackgroundNeuro-Nutritional Approach to Neuropathic Pain Management: A Critical Review
Cominelli, G., Sulas, F., Pinto, D., Rinaldi, F., Favero, G., & Rezzani, R. (2025) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu17091502 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Terradas‐Monllor, M., Beltrán-Alacreu, H., Ochandorena‐Acha, M., García-Oltra, E., Aliaga-Orduña, F., & Hernández‐Hermoso, J. A. (2025) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm14010268 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“They described it as an emotional regulation strategy and a form of catastrophic worry (characterized by repetitive negative thinking), arising from the interplay between a ruminative process and personality trait characteristics associated with the behavioral inhibition system [11].”
Executive functioning is associated to everyday interference of pain in patients with chronic pain
Berginström, N., Wåhlin, S., Österlund, L., Holmqvist, A., Löfgren, M., Stålnacke, B., & Möller, M. C. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0313187 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Behavioral inhibition is a key aspect of many kinds of anxiety and worrying, including pain catastrophizing [42], as the ability to inhibit worrying thoughts is a prerequisite for not getting stuck in excessive fear.”
Villotti, P., Kordsmeyer, A.-C., Roy, J., Corbière, M., Negrini, A., & Larivière, C. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0307284 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Mautz, T. T., Mulroy, M., Krapf, J. M., Goldstein, A. T., & Pukall, C. F. (2023) · Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1093/sexmed/qfad047 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Stressful experiences impact clinical symptoms in people with endometriosis
Demetriou, L., Becker, C. M., Martínez‐Burgo, B., Invitti, A. L., Kvaskoff, M., Shah, R., Evans, E., Lunde, C. E., Cox, E., Garbutt, K., et al. (2022) · Reproduction and Fertility · doi:10.1530/raf-22-0028 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Lockwood, M. B., Steel, J. L., Doorenbos, A. Z., Contreras, B. N., & Fischer, M. J. (2021) · Seminars in Nephrology · doi:10.1016/j.semnephrol.2021.10.007 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Biofeedback
Wie, C., Dunn, T., Sperry, J., Strand, N., Dawodu, A., Freeman, J., Covington, S., Pew, S., Misra, L., & Maloney, J. (2025) · Current Pain and Headache Reports · doi:10.1007/s11916-024-01348-x · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“A multidisciplinary approach to pain management is widely considered the best treatment for chronic patients - the biopsychosocial approach to pain lead to fear avoidance in patients with chronic pain, worsening their function and increasing their pain [4 ].”
Yielder, R., Leibowitz, K., Crum, A. J., Manley, P., Dalbeth, N., & Petrie, K. J. (2024) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1093/abm/kaae089 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Offering a potential underlying purpose for adverse experiences can diffuse catastrophizing interpretations and offer reassurance, 29 which in turn helps people to persist through challenging treatment periods.”
Saraçoğlu, İ., Arık, M. I., Türk, A., Leysen, L., & Nijs, J. (2024) · Supportive Care in Cancer · doi:10.1007/s00520-024-08594-0 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
The Bio-Habitus: Using Pain Science to Reconstruct Bourdieusian Theory
Leeds, T. (2024) · Sociological theory · doi:10.1177/07352751231222889 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Despite such debates, “[w]ithin pain literature, catastrophizing emerges as one of the most robust and reliable predictor[s] and correlate[s] of adverse pain experience” (Petrini and Arendt-Nielsen 2020).”
BackgroundAlfaya, F. F., Reddy, R. S., Alshahrani, M., Tedla, J., Dixit, S., Gular, K., & Mukherjee, D. (2023) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app13148169 · Cited by 8
“According to research, chronic pain is a complex construct with numerous interconnected components that have been found to have varying relationships with therapeutic outcomes [28,29].”
BackgroundPain catastrophizing and worry about health in generalized anxiety disorder
Dugas, M. J., Marchal, K. G., Cormier, S., Bouchard, S., Gouin, J., & Shafran, R. (2023) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2843 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“Second, there exists a considerable body of literature supporting the association between pain catastrophizing and repetitive negative thinking about illness and pain (for reviews, see Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020; Quartana et al., 2009; Sullivan et al., 2001).”
BackgroundDickens, H., Bruehl, S. P., Rao, U., Myers, H. F., Goodin, B. R., Huber, F. A., Nag, S., Carter, C., Karlson, C., Kinney, K. L., et al. (2022) · Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities · doi:10.1007/s40615-022-01449-6 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Sanromán, L., Catalá, P., Écija, C., Suso‐Ribera, C., Román, J. S., & Peñacoba, C. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19074198 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Furthermore, the fact that these results were not found in relation to helplessness shows how complex catastrophism truly is [52] and the possibility that the different components involved do not have the same role [25,52–54] as has been suggested in recent studies [24].”
ResultPeñacoba, C., Pastor-Mira, M. D. L. Á., Suso‐Ribera, C., Catalá, P., Nardi-Rodríguez, A., & López-Roig, S. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18105394 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“As has been pointed out, although pain catastrophizing has been considered as one of the most relevant psychological predictors of chronicity and disability related to pain, there are important problems still remaining in relation to its conceptualization [72].”
BackgroundInfluentialThe complexity of pain in osteoarthritis
Petersen, K. K., de Andrade, D. C., Pickering, G., Giordano, R., Hertel, E., Edwards, R. R., Pogatzki-Zahn, E., Mobasheri, A., & Arendt-Nielsen, L. (2026) · Nature Reviews Rheumatology · doi:10.1038/s41584-026-01372-8 · Cited by 7
“Catastrophizing is associated with increased pain intensity and disability 102 , and is one of the most important pre-treatment risk factors that impairs the effectiveness of pain-relief interventions for musculoskeletal pain 113–115 and management of chronic pain in general 102 .”
Self-citationCarvajal-Parodi, C., Rossel, P. O., Rodríguez-Alvarado, A., Guede-Rojas, F., & Ponce‐González, J. G. (2025) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm14113782 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“Various models have been proposed to explain the chronification of musculoskeletal pain conditions [5–7].”
Factors influencing the hypoalgesic effects of virtual reality
Shafir, R., Watson, L., Felix, R. B., Muhammed, S., Fisher, J. P., Hu, P. F.-M., Wang, Y., & Colloca, L. (2025) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003549 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Stamp, G. E., Wadley, A. L., & Iacovides, S. (2024) · Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104619 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Strigo, I. A., Kadlec, M., Mitchell, J., & Simmons, A. N. (2024) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003207 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Cognitive, behavioral, and psychological phenotypes in small fiber neuropathy: A case–control study
Telesca, A., Soldini, E., Devigili, G., Cazzato, D., Bella, E. D., Grazzi, L., Usai, S., Lauria, G., & Consonni, M. (2024) · Cortex · doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2024.01.012 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Pain catastrophizing in the elderly: An experimental pain study
Petrini, L., & Arendt‐Nielsen, L. (2024) · Scandinavian Journal of Pain · doi:10.1515/sjpain-2023-0035 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citationCioffi, I. (2023) · Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research · doi:10.1111/ocr.12688 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“…multiple studies has shown that pain catastrophising, a personality trait characterized by negative emotional and cognitive responses to pain, 38,39 is one of the strongest contributors to pain, as it significantly heightens an individual's pain experience and contributes to pain chronicity and…”
Cundiff-O'Sullivan, R. L., Wang, Y., Thomas, S. P., Zhu, S., Campbell, C., & Colloca, L. (2023) · Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2023.04.010 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Dysmenorrhea catastrophizing and functional impairment in female pelvic pain
Li, R., Kreher, D. A., Gubbels, A. L., Palermo, T., Benjamin, A., Irvine, C. S., Hart, A., Jusko, T., & Seplaki, C. (2023) · Frontiers in Pain Research · doi:10.3389/fpain.2022.1053026 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“Pain catastrophizing has been conceptualized as a cognitive schemata (49), a coping strategy (50), a personality trait or situational state (51), a communal coping strategy (51), and most recently, as a broader concept incorporating emotional regulation, catastrophic worry, rumination, behavioral inhibition and behavi…”
BackgroundMoline, R. L., Constantin, K. L., Chambers, C. T., Powell, D. M., Lewis, S. P., Laurignano, L., & McMurtry, C. M. (2022) · Children · doi:10.3390/children9121869 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Mindfulness decouples sensations and automatic evaluations [15]; this is argued to buffer against reflexive reactions such as catastrophizing, suppression, magnification, or experiential avoidance (avoiding and fighting internal experiences), which are prone to exacerbating distress and pain [16].”
BackgroundAvoidance-Endurance Model in Older Black Men with Low Back Pain: Exploring Relationships
Fullwood, D., Means, S., Paxton, R. J., Wells, B., Riley, J. L., Stickley, Z. L., Tucker, C. M., You, L., Elie-Turenne, M.-C., Thomas, C., et al. (2022) · Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities · doi:10.1007/s40615-022-01316-4 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
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“Psychological constructs that have been proposed to be important include the fear of pain [56,57] and pain catastrophizing [58–60], which may provide novel insights into the management of Achilles tendinopathy.”
Sensory and affective dimensions in loudness perception: Insights from young adults
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“30 In chronic LBP patients, depression is known for a strong relationship with intensity and duration of pain and disability, 8 and low efficacy to exercise therapy.”
BackgroundInfluence of Family-Learned Fear-of-Pain on Patients.
Fang, Y.-X., Shi, L., Qin, F., Li, T., Zhang, X., & Li, M. (2023) · Pain Management Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pmn.2023.04.003 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Postoperative pain management: are we ready to move beyond the ‘kitchen‐sink’ approach?
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“These predictors may be combined with others that have been associated with greater than expected postoperative pain, such as pain catastrophising [16] or serum biomarkers [17], to aid modern-day anaesthetists and acute pain services in the assignment of patients to specific pain management protocols, prioritisation f…”
BackgroundJames, K., Patel, M., Goldsmith, K., Moss-Morris, R. E., Ashworth, M. J., Landau, S., & Chalder, T. (2022) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2022.104224 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
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“…catastrophizing (Trudel and Cormier 2024), a cognitive tendency characterised by exaggerated worrying, a sense of helplessness, and amplification of distressing thoughts in response to pain (Sullivan et al. 2001), often reported among patients with chronic pain (Petrini and Arendt-Nielsen 2020).”
Yap, A. U., Zheng, Y., Liu, T., Li, Y., Liu, Y., Zhou, X., Wang, J., & Xiong, X. (2025) · Journal of Oral Rehabilitation · doi:10.1111/joor.14023 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Proposition of Two Subtypes of Patients at Risk of Suicide: Pain Hypersensitive Vs. Dissociative
Bianco, F., Courtet, P., Olié, É., López‐Castromán, J., Madeddu, F., & Calati, R. (2025) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-025-01600-0 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Additionally, a possible adverse consequence of inflammation-induced interoceptive hyper-vigilance is pain catastrophizing, one of the most important correlates of pain chronicity and disability [ 44 ].”
Liu, J., Li, J., Wang, T., Wu, Y., Liu, X., Gao, X., Zhou, Z., & Zhou, H. (2025) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-025-06648-z · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Research on pain vigilance also demonstrated that interoception links emotion regulation, behavioral inhibition/activation, pain vigilance, and rumination [33].”
A brief screening tool for risk of self-medication of pain with substance use
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“…catastrophizing and these constructs (e.g., increased cognitive attention to negative cues), catastrophizing is distinct in that it captures three facets of this attentional focus and encapsulates a broader pattern of maladaptive thinking when faced with challenges (Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020).”
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“Because research has shown that physical pain can be catastrophic under the influence of mental and cognitive factors [7].”
BackgroundGevers‐Montoro, C., Deldar, Z., Conesa‐Buendía, F. M., Lazar, E. A., Mahíllo, I., Khatibi, A., & de Mues, A. O. (2021) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.1872 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Catastrophizing itself is not only dependent on previous painful experiences but can also be influenced by environmental factors (Petrini & Arendt- Nielsen, 2020).”
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“59 Our sample, who received earlier treatment for mild-moderate OA, maybe more psychologically malleable and have more opportunity for impactful bene fi t, including adaptive improvements in the cognitive appraisal of pain.”
Pérez-Martín, Y., Pérez-Muñoz, M., Martín-Castro, B., Núñez-Nagy, S., Díaz-Pulido, B., & Rodríguez‐Costa, I. (2025) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm14134748 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Helplessness beliefs are associated with catastrophizing and heightened perception of pain intensity [60], while levels of self-esteem are significantly lower among individuals prone to pain compared to their healthy counterparts [61].”
Kori, A., Singh, A., Caroicar, Y., Thomas, P., & Chandra, A. (2025) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.86344 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
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Silva-Ribeiro, S., Godinho, C. I. A., Camilo, C., Marques, M. M., Chisari, C., Segura, Ú., & Bernardes, S. F. (2025) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2025.2478877 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“For example, although pain-related worrying is a main predictor of poor adjustment to chronic pain conditions (Jensen et al., 2011; Petrini & Arendt-Nielsen, 2020), this cognitive process was one of the least investigated in our study.”
Asanova, A., Khaustova, O., Skrynnyk, O., & Mukharovska, I. (2025) · INTERNATIONAL NEUROLOGICAL JOURNAL · doi:10.22141/2224-0713.20.8.2024.1124 · Cited by 4
- Authors
- Petrini, L., & Arendt-Nielsen, L.
- Affiliations
- Aalborg University (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Petrini, Laura
- ORCID
- Petrini, Laura
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2020-12-16
- Volume
- 11
- Pages
- 603420-603420
- ISSN
- 1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7772183
- OpenAlex
- W3113360819
- Cited by
- 259
- References
- 177
- Citations by year
- 2026: 41 · 2025: 72 · 2024: 65 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 10
- FWCI
- 2.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- VBN Forskningsportal (Aalborg Universitet) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Aalborg Universitet
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
- Keywords
- pain catastrophizing, chronic pain, pain-related disability, conceptual definitions, emotion regulation, rumination, behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, interoceptive sensitivity, biopsychosocial model, pain processing, psychological intervention
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