Grad Student Caitlyn Hood:The Effect of Posttraumatic Stress and Trauma-Focused Disclosure on Experimental Pain Sensitivity among Trauma-Exposed Women

Previous studies evaluating the impact of trauma history and PTSD on pain sensitivity yield inconsistent findings; the presence of trauma-related negative affective states may account for these discrepancies. Therefore, in the proposed study, we aim to evaluate the effect of trauma-related negative affect and PTSD symptoms on pain sensitivity among trauma-exposed women. Adult women (N = 100) with and without PTSD will undergo an emotional disclosure paradigm, during which they will write about a traumatic event or a neutral topic. Participants will then complete the Cold Pressor Task (CPT), a pain induction procedure employed to measure pain sensitivity. Overall, we expect that women with PTSD who are reminded of their worst traumatic experiences will display significantly altered pain sensitivity. This project will provide crucial insight into the relationship between PTSD and pain experiences in trauma-exposed women and findings from the study have the potential to inform models of co-occurring PTSD and chronic pain.