Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems: Further Evaluation of a BIS-BAS Model of Chronic Pain

Elisabet Sánchez-Rodríguez; Mélanie Racine; Elena Castarlenas; Catarina Tomé-Pires; Santiago Galán; Mark P Jensen; Jordi Miró

doi:10.1093/pm/pnaa330

Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems: Further Evaluation of a BIS-BAS Model of Chronic Pain

Pain Med. 2021 Apr 20;22(4):848-860. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnaa330.

Authors

Elisabet Sánchez-Rodríguez^{1

2}, Mélanie Racine³, Elena Castarlenas^{1

2}, Catarina Tomé-Pires^{1

2}, Santiago Galán^{1

2}, Mark P Jensen⁴, Jordi Miró^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain-ALGOS, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Tarragona, Spain.
² Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
³ Clinical and Neurological Sciences Department, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

PMID: 33249468
DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnaa330

Abstract

Objectives: The role of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS) in function has been evaluated in a wide range of populations. However, research on the role of the BIS and BAS in pain is in its early stages. This study sought to evaluate the utility of a BIS-BAS model of chronic pain.

Methods: Participants were 164 individuals with chronic pain who responded to an online survey. Participants provided information about pain location, intensity, and frequency and completed questionnaires assessing behavioral inhibition and activation sensitivity, pain catastrophizing, pain interference, activity engagement, pain willingness, hope, and pain self-efficacy. Seven hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test hypothesized associations between BIS and BAS sensitivity and measures of participant function.

Results: BIS scores were significantly and positively associated with pain catastrophizing, anxiety, depression, and pain interference and were negatively associated with activity engagement, hope, and pain self-efficacy (P<0.01). BAS scores showed significant and positive associations with activity engagement and hope and showed significant negative associations with pain catastrophizing and anxiety (P<0.05). Furthermore, BIS sensitivity evidenced stronger associations with all the other study measures than did BAS sensitivity.

Conclusions: The findings provide important new information regarding the utility of the BIS-BAS model of chronic pain. Our results support the idea that BIS activation is more important than BAS activation in explaining a variety of pain-related outcomes, including positive and negative responses to pain, and suggest that modification of the model may be indicated. These results have several theoretical and clinical implications.

Keywords: Behavioral Activation System; Behavioral Inhibition System; Catastrophizing; Chronic Pain; Pain Intensity; Theory.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anxiety Disorders
Catastrophization
Chronic Pain*
Humans
Inhibition, Psychological
Surveys and Questionnaires