Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
Published on: October 3, 2020
Avoidant safety behaviors and catastrophizing: shared cognitive-behavioral processes and consequences in co-morbid
Shane MacDonald1, Steven J Linton, Markus Jansson-Frojmark
1Department of Behavioral, Social, and Legal Sciences, Orebro University, Orebro, Sweden. shane.macdonald@bsr.oru.se
Background:
Research and theory suggest that the symptom pair of chronic pain and insomnia may be maintained by shared cognitive-behavioral processes and consequences.
Purpose:
This investigation describes the psychometric properties of an instrument designed to assess the way people think about symptoms of pain and poor sleep.
Method:
A pool of 12 items was generated from existing and validated measures. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on item responses from a community sample of respondents who reported having had a problem with pain or sleep (n = 1702) during the three months previous to the survey. Multinomial regression analyses (MRA) were used to describe derived subscale responses for distinct groups reporting different degrees of perceived symptom severity and overlap.
Results:
EFA suggested the existence of three distinct dimensions: safety behaviors of behavioral orientation, safety behaviors of cognitive orientation, and catastrophizing. MRA analyses indicated that catastrophizing appears to be a shared psychological process and that both types of safety behaviors may be enhanced in co-morbid problems with persistent pain and insomnia.
Conclusion:
Cognitions pertaining to avoidant safety behaviors and catastrophizing are associated with symptom severity and overlap in co-morbid pain and sleep disorders. More research is needed to explore the importance of shared psychological processes and consequences when studying and treating ill health.
Related Concept Videos
Sleepwalking and Sleep Talking
Factors that increase the likelihood of sleepwalking include sleep deprivation and alcohol consumption. Contrary to common beliefs, it is safe...
Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Narcolepsy
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
RBD is significantly associated with...
