The Pain of Ambivalence over Emotional Expression

Purpose Ambivalence over emotional expression (AEE) is defined as the desire to express emotion but failing to do so. Recent studies have revealed that AEE is associated with more pain. Pain is common among cancer survivors. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between AEE and pai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of behavioral medicine 2018-04, Vol.25 (2), p.216-222
Main Authors: Wang, Carol, Wong, Celia C. Y., Lu, Qian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Affect
Aged
Behavioral psychology
Breast cancer
Breast Neoplasms - psychology
Cancer
Cognition
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotions
Family Medicine
Female
General Practice
Health Psychology
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Pain
Pain - psychology
Pain Measurement - methods
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Purpose Ambivalence over emotional expression (AEE) is defined as the desire to express emotion but failing to do so. Recent studies have revealed that AEE is associated with more pain. Pain is common among cancer survivors. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between AEE and pain, its underlying mechanism, and cultural relevance among cancer survivors. Methods Ninety-six Chinese American breast cancer survivors completed a questionnaire package assessing AEE and pain. Results AEE was positively associated with pain severity and pain interference. The association between AEE and pain interference was mediated by intrusive thoughts. Conclusion Cancer survivors who are ambivalent over emotional expression may experience high levels of intrusive thoughts, which results in high levels of symptom reports in their pain. The study confirmed the association between AEE and pain and its underlying mechanism among a group whose culture generally encourages emotional suppression. Findings suggest interventions focusing on reducing intrusive thoughts may be effective at reducing pain.
ISSN:1070-5503
1532-7558
DOI:10.1007/s12529-017-9696-6