This current study investigated the relationship between level of pain, expectancies, and avoidance in individuals with chronic low back pain. Research showed that individually expectancies and...Show moreThis current study investigated the relationship between level of pain, expectancies, and avoidance in individuals with chronic low back pain. Research showed that individually expectancies and avoidance behaviour influence pain experience. However, there seems to be little research into the combined influence. Seeing that research also showed that pinpointing a cause for the chronic low back pain is difficult, this study aimed to give insight into interacting factors that influence chronic low back pain. To gather data participants (N=18) filled in a questionnaire five times a day for two weeks. This provided insight into their levels of pain in the morning and the evening, if they expected to experience pain and if they were more likely to avoid movements, they expected to be painful. These statements were answered with answering scales, ranging from 0 (not at all) to 6 (extremely), given how likely that statement was for the participant. A mediation analysis inspecting possible relations between the level of pain and expectancies, the level of pain and avoidance, and the level of pain, expectancies and avoidance yielded no significant relations. Therefore, it could not be concluded that avoidance and/or expectancy are influencing the level of pain in the evening when compared to the level of pain in the morning. There were two significant findings, the impact of level of pain in the morning on expectancies and the impact of expectancies on avoidance. These findings are in line with what was found in existing literature and give incitement for further research on this topic. Another incitement for further research is the small sample used in this current study. The implication for the scientific field therefore is to perform this study on a bigger sample. Another consideration for further research would be to try and use a more diverse sample in both age and gender, this to make a more representative sample to draw conclusions for the general population. This could also lead to more substantial implications for the clinical field since this study did not have significant results.Show less
Nocebo hyperalgesia can be defined as an increased sensitivity to pain caused by a nocebo effect. Expectancies are fundamental to nocebo effects. How pain is experienced can be modified by...Show moreNocebo hyperalgesia can be defined as an increased sensitivity to pain caused by a nocebo effect. Expectancies are fundamental to nocebo effects. How pain is experienced can be modified by expectancies and avoidance behavior. This is the basis of the fear-avoidance model. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between pain, expectancies and avoidance behavior. More specifically, we wanted to assess whether negative expectancies induce nocebo hyperalgesia, and whether nocebo hyperalgesia predicts avoidance. A total of 116 participants were included in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control (n = 58) or nocebo group (n = 58). The pain stimuli were administered electrically. In the nocebo group, expectancies about pain stimuli were induced by verbal suggestions and conditioning. The verbal suggestions included telling participants that a specific color cue would increase the intensity. The conditioning consisted of consistently pairing a specific color cue with a higher stimulus. In the control group, no expectancies were induced and stimuli were administered randomly. Avoidance was measured through a pain avoidance task for which the Tower of Hanoi was used. Results indicated a significant interaction between type of color cue and group (F(1,114) = 34.08, p < .001, ηp2 = .230), indicating a significant difference between the pain ratings of the color cues of both groups. Participants in the nocebo group gave higher pain ratings than the control group, indicating that nocebo hyperalgesia increased when negative expectancies were induced. However, nocebo hyperalgesia did not predict avoidance behavior (χ² (1) = .51, p = .477). The results are in line with studies on nocebo effects on pain and add to the importance of verbal suggestions. As pain can be hugely modified by expectancies, it is recommended for clinicians to be mindful of their communication with patients. By effectively managing patients’ expectancies, nocebo effects can be minimized. Results do not completely corroborate the fear-avoidance model. Therefore, future research should focus on developing objective measurement instruments of avoidance. This could provide more insight into the development of pain and improve pain treatments.Show less
Impulsivity and compulsivity have been placed on a continuum in which impulsivity is motivated by reward sensitivity and compulsivity by avoidance. Recently, however, studies emphasised...Show moreImpulsivity and compulsivity have been placed on a continuum in which impulsivity is motivated by reward sensitivity and compulsivity by avoidance. Recently, however, studies emphasised neurocognitive influences on impulsivity and compulsivity, underscoring the significance of action control. Thus, this study proposed the metacontrol state model (MSM) as an additional explanation of variance in impulsivity and compulsivity across the general population. The MSM views individuals to fall on a spectrum between cognitive flexibility and persistence, where the individual’s biases towards either side of the spectrum impacts their ability to control and inhibit action. We hypothesised that individual meta-control biases towards flexibility or persistence predict individual differences in impulsivity and compulsivity in addition to reward sensitivity and avoidance. In order to examine this relationship, 41 participants (mean age = 23.7) completed a variation of the Stroop task, the Monetary Incentive Delay task, and the UPPS-P Impulsive Behaviour Scale. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that a meta-control bias towards flexibility was positively associated with impulsivity while a persistence bias was associated with compulsivity. However, this study’s findings contradicted the traditional view, indicating an association of reward sensitivity with compulsivity and avoidance with impulsivity. The exploratory analysis, identified an interaction between reward sensitivity and the meta-control biases and a mediating effect of the MSM was suspected. Overall, this study highlights the association between individual differences in cognitive control and impulsivity and compulsivity, emphasising both the insufficiency of traditional models and the relevance of the meta-control state model.Show less
Background: Threat-related attentional biases (ABs) in anxiety show considerable heterogeneity; there is evidence for hypervigilance to, and avoidance of threat. Taking the stimulus threat level...Show moreBackground: Threat-related attentional biases (ABs) in anxiety show considerable heterogeneity; there is evidence for hypervigilance to, and avoidance of threat. Taking the stimulus threat level and attentional control (AC) into account is thought to aid in explaining this heterogeneity. Prior work on the relations between these variables showed inconclusive results. Hypotheses: Trait anxiety levels, AC levels, and their interaction are associated with different patterns of AB scores, depending on the stimulus’s threat level. Methods: Fifty-two participants completed self-report measures of trait anxiety and AC and participated in a dot-probe task with neutral, mild threat, and high threat pictorial stimuli. Hypotheses were tested with rm ANOVAs and post-hoc correlation tests. Results: High trait anxiety was associated with hypervigilant AB to mild threat, but no association with AB to high threat was found. Low AC was related to more avoidance of high threat, but not to AB to mild threat. AC did not moderate the relationship between trait anxiety and threat-level dependent AB. Discussion and Conclusions: These findings confirm that threat level influences threat-related ABs in anxiety. While this relationship was not further influenced by individual differences in AC, the role AC on its own plays in threat-level dependent ABs is supported.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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As the negative consequences of debts are substantial, it is important that indebted people seek and accept help. However, people in debt are often reluctant to contact the creditor and identify...Show moreAs the negative consequences of debts are substantial, it is important that indebted people seek and accept help. However, people in debt are often reluctant to contact the creditor and identify shame as a barrier. Moreover, they experience a lack of acknowledgement when communicating with creditors. Given the human need for acknowledgement and the suggestion that acknowledgement can reduce shame, the current study examined the effect of acknowledgement on indebted people’s willingness to contact the creditor and explored the role of financial shame. To this end, 206 native English-speaking people with current or past debts completed an online experiment in which they read either a standard creditor letter or a creditor letter in which the creditor acknowledged the situation of the person in debt. Willingness to contact the creditor and financial shame did not differ between participants who read a creditor letter in which their situations were acknowledged and those whose read a standard creditor letter. However, higher financial shame was associated with lower willingness to contact. We conclude that acknowledging indebted people’s situations is not enough to increase their willingness to contact the creditor. Future research could test other ways to address and reduce the financial shame.Show less
