| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain are common and disabling conditions associated with severe distress and impairment. Traumatic stress is a necessary precondition for developing PTSD and is independently predictive of chronic pain. These co-occurring conditions have been theorized to possess shared vulnerabilities and mutually maintaining factors, among which is altered pain perception. Studies to date have provided mixed evidence for altered pain perception across these conditions, possibly due to the heterogeneous methodologies employed and the diverse populations studied. The present investigation examined the relationship between traumatic stress, sex, and pain perception among a sample of university students and community members (n = 95; 55% women; Mage = 24.43; SD = 7.28). These participants were screened for trauma exposure and placed into either trauma exposed (n = 35 women; n = 21 men) or non-trauma exposed groups (n = 17 women; n = 22 men). Participants completed a series of questionnaires and underwent Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) procedures to test for heat and cold perception. Significant differences in pain perception were discovered for both sex and trauma status. Consistent with precedent research, women exhibited increased sensitivity to heat and cold pain relative to men. Additionally, trauma exposed women and men exhibited increased sensitivity to heat and cold pain relative to the non-trauma exposed comparison groups. Also observed was evidence of differential pain perception between trauma types and non-trauma exposed participants, a moderate relationship between trauma frequency and pain perception, and a moderate relationship between PCL-C scores and pain perception. These results suggest a small to moderate relationship between traumatic stress and pain perception. Comprehensive results, implications, and directions for future research are discussed. |
