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Background <p>Despite recent research growth, challenges persist with accurate pain assessment. One method to assess pain perception is pain-pressure threshold (PPT), indicating the pressure at which pain is reported. Anxiety, comprising state and trait anxiety, has been suggested as a potential influencer of PPT, yet its precise impact remains uncertain. State anxiety is defined as a “transient state of arousal subjectively experienced as anxiety.” Trait anxiety is “an individual's tendency to appraise situations as threatening, avoid anxiety-provoking situations, and demonstrate high baseline physiological arousal.” The objective of this study is to examine potential associations between the two subtypes of anxiety and pain-pressure thresholds.</p> Methods <p>In this observational study, 38 participants with no history of persistent pain or anxiety completed data collection, 19 men and 19 women, ages 22 to 32. Subjects completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-5 (STAI-5) and underwent PPT testing at the upper trapezius and forearm extensors bilaterally to provide an extrapolation of global pressure tolerance. The same data was collected again 21&#xa0;days later.</p> Results <p>No correlation existed between anxiety and PPT. No significant correlation (<i>p</i> = 0.148) was observed in state anxiety scores between baseline and follow-up, while trait anxiety displayed a moderate relationship (<i>r</i> = 0.612, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) between the initial and subsequent tests. These findings support the notion that state anxiety is more variable, contrasting with the presumed stability of trait anxiety. Pain-pressure threshold test-retest data revealed a moderate relationship (<i>r</i> = 0.542, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), consistent with prior research on PPT reliability.</p> Discussion/conclusion <p>This research is unique in that it assessed the relationship between anxiety and PPT in young, healthy participants. The principal finding is that pain-pressure thresholds were not shown to be influenced by either trait or state anxiety. The data also provided further information about the test-retest consistency of the STAI-5 and PPT measures. This research provides initial baseline data, against which findings in other populations can be compared. Future research should continue to aim to quantify psychosocial factors and their influence on pain experiences.</p>

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Associations between state and trait anxiety on pain-pressure threshold: a pilot study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月16日

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  • Scott W. Lowe,
  • Christian Hughey,
  • Breana Fair,
  • Kathryn Downing

摘要

Background

Despite recent research growth, challenges persist with accurate pain assessment. One method to assess pain perception is pain-pressure threshold (PPT), indicating the pressure at which pain is reported. Anxiety, comprising state and trait anxiety, has been suggested as a potential influencer of PPT, yet its precise impact remains uncertain. State anxiety is defined as a “transient state of arousal subjectively experienced as anxiety.” Trait anxiety is “an individual's tendency to appraise situations as threatening, avoid anxiety-provoking situations, and demonstrate high baseline physiological arousal.” The objective of this study is to examine potential associations between the two subtypes of anxiety and pain-pressure thresholds.

Methods

In this observational study, 38 participants with no history of persistent pain or anxiety completed data collection, 19 men and 19 women, ages 22 to 32. Subjects completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-5 (STAI-5) and underwent PPT testing at the upper trapezius and forearm extensors bilaterally to provide an extrapolation of global pressure tolerance. The same data was collected again 21 days later.

Results

No correlation existed between anxiety and PPT. No significant correlation (p = 0.148) was observed in state anxiety scores between baseline and follow-up, while trait anxiety displayed a moderate relationship (r = 0.612, p < 0.001) between the initial and subsequent tests. These findings support the notion that state anxiety is more variable, contrasting with the presumed stability of trait anxiety. Pain-pressure threshold test-retest data revealed a moderate relationship (r = 0.542, p < 0.001), consistent with prior research on PPT reliability.

Discussion/conclusion

This research is unique in that it assessed the relationship between anxiety and PPT in young, healthy participants. The principal finding is that pain-pressure thresholds were not shown to be influenced by either trait or state anxiety. The data also provided further information about the test-retest consistency of the STAI-5 and PPT measures. This research provides initial baseline data, against which findings in other populations can be compared. Future research should continue to aim to quantify psychosocial factors and their influence on pain experiences.