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Cognitive-processing bias in chronic pain: a review and integration
1Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, United Kingdom. t.pincus@rhul.ac.uk
Psychological Bulletin
|September 11, 2001
Summary
Patients with chronic pain may selectively process information related to pain and illness due to overlapping schemas. This information processing bias, especially when involving the self-schema, can worsen distress and illness behavior.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Chronic pain affects millions globally, impacting psychological well-being.
- Understanding cognitive processing in chronic pain is crucial for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence on attentional, interpretational, and recall biases in chronic pain.
- To propose a model explaining information processing biases in chronic pain.
Main Methods:
- Critical review of existing literature on cognitive biases in chronic pain.
- Development of a schema-overlap model to explain findings.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests patients with chronic pain exhibit selective processing of pain- and illness-related stimuli.
- Biases arise from the overlap and enmeshment of pain, illness, and self-schemas.
- The degree of schema enmeshment influences the nature and extent of processing biases.
Conclusions:
- Information processing biases in chronic pain are linked to schema enmeshment.
- When self-schemas become enmeshed with pain and illness schemas, it can perpetuate distress and illness behaviors.
- Targeting these cognitive biases may offer therapeutic benefits for chronic pain management.