Sensory processing sensitivity in adolescents reporting chronic pain: an exploratory study

Helen Koechlin; Carolina Donado; Cosima Locher; Joe Kossowsky; Francesca Lionetti; Michael Pluess

doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000001053

Sensory processing sensitivity in adolescents reporting chronic pain: an exploratory study

Pain Rep. 2023 Jan 6;8(1):e1053. doi: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001053. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Helen Koechlin^{1

2}, Carolina Donado², Cosima Locher^{3

4}, Joe Kossowsky², Francesca Lionetti^{5

6}, Michael Pluess⁶

Affiliations

¹ Division of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁴ Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
⁵ Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti - Pescara, Italy.
⁶ Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Introduction: Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) describes a genetically influenced trait characterized by greater depth of information processing, lower sensory threshold, and ease of overstimulation. It is hypothesized that SPS plays a crucial role in the context of chronic pain.Objectives: This exploratory study examined SPS as a correlate of pain intensity and pain-related disability in a sample of adolescents reporting chronic pain.

Methods: Adolescents reporting chronic pain were contacted through social media and through specialized pain clinics. Participants completed online questionnaires on their levels of SPS, pain features, emotion regulation, and quality of life. A series of analysis of variances (ANOVAs) were calculated to detect differences between 3 SPS groups (ie, high, medium, and low sensitivity) regarding emotion regulation, quality of life, and pain features. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to predict pain intensity, pain-related disability, and quality of life.

Results: In total, 103 participants completed the survey (68.9% female, M_age 17.9). Back pain was the most frequently reported pain location. Proportion of highly sensitive individuals was large (45.68%). The ANOVA revealed significant differences between sensitivity groups related to quality-of-life subscales, namely, for physical (F(2, 100) = 7.42, P < 0.001), emotional (F(2, 100) = 6.11, P < 0.001), and school functioning (F(2, 100) = 3.75, P = 0.03). High sensitivity was not predictive of pain but of health-related quality of life.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that SPS is an important and prevalent characteristic to consider in the context of chronic pain in adolescents, specifically regarding the quality of life.

Keywords: Adolescents; Chronic pain; Emotion regulation; Quality of life; Sensory processing sensitivity.