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Two Brief Interventions For Acute Pain, Stephen Bruehl, Charles Carlson, James Mccubbin Jul 2014

Two Brief Interventions For Acute Pain, Stephen Bruehl, Charles Carlson, James Mccubbin

James A. McCubbin

This study evaluated two brief (3–5 min) interventions for controlling responses to acute pain. Eighty male subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 intervention groups (Positive Emotion Induction (PEI) or Brief Relaxation (BR)) or to 1 of 2 control groups (No-instruction or Social Demand). The PEI focused on re-creating a pleasant memory, while the BR procedure involved decreasing respiration rate and positioning the body in a relaxed posture. All subjects underwent a 60-sec finger pressure pain trial. Analyses indicated that the PEI subjects reported lower ratings of pain, fear, and anxiety, and experienced greater finger temperature recovery than controls. …


Psychological Coping With Acute Pain: An Examination Of The Role Of Endogenous Opioid Mechanisms, Stephen Bruehl, Charles Carlson, John Wilson, Jane Norton, George Colclough, Marianne Brady, Jeffrey Sherman, James Mccubbin Jul 2014

Psychological Coping With Acute Pain: An Examination Of The Role Of Endogenous Opioid Mechanisms, Stephen Bruehl, Charles Carlson, John Wilson, Jane Norton, George Colclough, Marianne Brady, Jeffrey Sherman, James Mccubbin

James A. McCubbin

This study examined the relationship among endogenous opioids, Monitoring and Blunting coping styles, and acute pain responses. Fifty-eight male subjects underwent a 1-min pressure pain stimulus during two laboratory sessions. Subjects experienced this pain stimulus once under endogenous opioid blockade with naltrexone and once in a placebo condition. Blunting was found to be negatively correlated with pain ratings, but this relationship was significantly more prominent under opioid blockade. Results for coping behaviors subjects used to manage the experimental pain were generally consistent with the Blunting results, indicating that cognitive coping was related more strongly to decreased pain ratings and cardiovascular …


The Relationship Between Pain Sensitivity And Blood Pressure In Normotensives, Stephen Bruehl, Charles Carlson, James Mccubbin Jul 2014

The Relationship Between Pain Sensitivity And Blood Pressure In Normotensives, Stephen Bruehl, Charles Carlson, James Mccubbin

James A. McCubbin

Hypertension has been found to be related to decreased sensitivity to painful stimuli. The current study explored whether this relationship extends into the normotensive range of blood pressures. Resting blood pressures were assessed in 60 male normotensives. Subjects then underwent a l min finger pressure pain stimulation trial. Pain ratings were inversely related to resting systolic blood pressure. This relationship was unrelated to emotional state or coping styles. Multiple regression analyses indicated that over one-third of the variance in pain ratings can be accounted for by resting blood pressure, coping style, and emotional state.


An Unusual Reaction To Opioid Blockade With Naltrexone In A Case Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Paloma Ibarra, Stephen P. Bruehl, James A. Mccubbin, Charles R. Carlson, John F. Wilson, Jane A. Norton, Thomas B. Montgomery Jul 2014

An Unusual Reaction To Opioid Blockade With Naltrexone In A Case Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Paloma Ibarra, Stephen P. Bruehl, James A. Mccubbin, Charles R. Carlson, John F. Wilson, Jane A. Norton, Thomas B. Montgomery

James A. McCubbin

An unusual behavioral and cardiovascular reaction was observed during opioid blockade with naltrexone in a 32-year-old male who met DSM III-R criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As part of an ongoing placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of naltrexone on laboratory and ambulatory blood pressure reactivity, this participant reported experiencing feelings of rage, explosive behavior, and other unpleasant symptoms. When compared to all other subjects (N=24), this individual showed significantly greater effects of naltrexone on blood pressure reactivity during the laboratory stressor. His ambulatory blood pressures, when compared to placebo, were significantly increased during the 24-hr period following naltrexone. The …