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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
09:16
An Alternative to the Traditional Cold Pressor Test: The Cold Pressor Arm Wrap
Published on: January 16, 2014
Styles of pain coping predict cardiovascular function following a cold pressor test
Robert R Edwards1, Roger B Fillingim
1Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Meyer 1-101, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. Redwar10@jhmi.edu
Pain Research & Management
|December 13, 2005
Summary
Active pain coping strategies reduce cardiovascular responses to cold pain, while catastrophizing increases them. Coping styles significantly influence physiological reactions to acute pain.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Pain Research
Background:
- Limited research exists on the physiological effects of pain coping styles.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for managing chronic pain adjustment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between pain coping strategies and cardiovascular function.
- To assess physiological responses to acute pain (cold pressor test).
Main Methods:
- Utilized impedance cardiography to measure cardiovascular functioning.
- Assessed 50 healthy subjects before and after a cold pressor test.
Main Results:
- Active coping correlated with decreased mean arterial pressure and cardiac contractility.
- Pain catastrophizing was linked to increased cardiac contractility post-pain exposure.
- Coping variables, not stimulus characteristics, predicted cardiovascular responses.
Conclusions:
- Pain coping styles significantly shape physiological responses to pain.
- Interventions promoting adaptive coping and reducing catastrophizing may mitigate pain's negative impact.
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