Pain Catastrophizing in Dance Students in Relation to Resilient Behavior and Self-Reported Injuries

Pain catastrophizing is characterized by a set of negative emotional and cognitive processes in response to pain, with a tendency to focus inordinately on the painful sensation, exaggerate the damage, and perceive feelings of helplessness. It is a psychological factor that can be treated to help people more effectively cope with pain. In this cross-sectional study, we explored the relationship between self-reported injuries, resilient behavior, and pain catastrophizing in dance students, with more than 3 years of study in public conservatories or private academies.

A sample of 147 dance students participated, 75.5% of whom were female with a mean age of 28.34 yrs (SD 11.42). Pain catastrophizing was assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and resilience was assessed using the Resilience Scale.

Students in the high resilience category reported lower scores on rumination and magnification, with a marginal difference in total catastrophizing and no difference in helplessness. Those who reported having suffered injuries during the last 3 years showed higher scores in total catastrophizing, rumination, and magnification, but not in helplessness. Those who reported mild injuries showed differences in pain catastrophizing, rumination, and magnification, while those with moderate and severe/very severe injuries only showed differences in magnification.

The individual nature of pain perception and coping strategies suggests that pain catastrophizing may be considered before dance performance and in those dancers who do not recover as expected after injury.