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Anger management style and endogenous opioid function: is gender a moderator?
Stephen Bruehl1, Mustafa al'Absi, Christopher R France
1Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 701 Medical Arts Building, 1211 Twenty-First Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212, USA. Stephen.Bruehl@vanderbilt.edu
Journal of Behavioral Medicine
|April 6, 2007
Summary
Gender influences how anger traits affect pain relief from opioids. High anger-out reduces opioid analgesia in women, while men experience the opposite effect, impacting pain perception.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
Background:
- Trait anger is linked to pain perception and endogenous opioid function.
- Previous research suggests trait anger-out is associated with reduced opioid analgesia.
- The role of gender in moderating this association requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gender as a moderator of the relationship between trait anger (anger-out and anger-in) and endogenous opioid analgesia.
- To examine how anger traits influence pain responses under opioid blockade conditions.
- To clarify the specific effects of anger-out and anger-in on opioid-mediated pain relief.
Main Methods:
- One hundred forty-five healthy participants completed pain assessments.
- Participants underwent acute electrocutaneous pain stimulation during placebo and opioid blockade sessions.
- Hierarchical regressions were used to analyze the interaction between anger traits, gender, and opioid blockade effects on pain responses.
Main Results:
- Elevated anger-out was associated with reduced opioid analgesia in females, but increased analgesia in males (interaction p < .001).
- Similar gender interactions were observed for nociceptive flexion reflex threshold, pain tolerance, and pain ratings.
- Anger-in showed a negative association with pain threshold blockade effects in females (p < .05) and reduced pain tolerance blockade effects across genders (p < .01).
Conclusions:
- Gender significantly moderates the association between trait anger-out and endogenous opioid analgesia.
- Anger-in is also related to reduced opioid analgesia, potentially influenced by anger-out.
- These findings highlight the complex interplay between anger, gender, and the endogenous opioid system in pain modulation.
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