Browsing by Author "Niederstrasser, Nils Georg"

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    Changes in Pain Catastrophizing Following Physical Therapy for Musculoskeletal Injury: The Influence of Depressive and Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms
    (Springer-Verlag, 2013-03-26) Slepian, P.; Bernieh, E.; Scott, W.; Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Wideman, T.; Sullivan, M. J. L.
    Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the factors that influence the change in pain catastrophizing during the course of a physical therapy intervention for musculoskeletal injury. Methods: 187 clients enrolled in a 7-week physical therapy intervention were divided into four mutually exclusive groups on the basis of a pre-treatment assessment: (1) clients whose pre-treatment catastrophizing scores and measures of mental health problems were below clinical threshold, (2) clients whose pre-treatment catastrophizing scores were above clinical threshold but who scores on measures of mental health problems were below clinical threshold, (3) clients whose pre-treatment catastrophizing scores were above clinical threshold and whose scores on measures of mental health problems were also above clinical threshold, and (4) clients whose pre-treatment catastrophizing scores were below clinical threshold but whose scores on measures of mental health problems were above clinical threshold. Results: The most prevalent risk profile consisted of clients with high levels of pain catastrophizing and high mental health problems (37 %), followed by the low catastrophizing and low mental health problems profile (35 %), the high catastrophizing and low mental health problems profile (16 %), and low catastrophizing and high mental health problems profile (10 %). Clients were considered non-responders if their post-treatment catastrophizing score remained above clinical threshold following treatment. Chi square analyses revealed a significantly higher proportion of non-responders in the high catastrophizing and mental health problem group than in any other group. Conclusions: The presence of mental health symptoms markedly reduces the effectiveness of physical therapy for reducing catastrophizing scores. The ‘risk value’ of high catastrophizing scores thus appears to vary as a function of the presence or absence of mental health symptoms. The findings argue for the inclusion of measures of mental health problems in the routine screening of individuals treated in physical therapy.
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    Deutsche transkulturelle Übersetzung des Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ)
    (Springer, 2018-10-10) Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Steiger, B.; Welsh, K.; Hartmann, S.; Nilges, P.; Ljutow, A.; Ettlin, D.
    Introduction: Occupational and social rehabilitation is influenced by perceived injustice as a result of injury. To assess perceived injustice, the Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ) has been developed and is available in English. The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the English version of the IEQ into German. Methodology: The IEQ was translated and adapted into German according to the criteria for transcultural adaptation of self-assessment tools. The translation was examined in a sample of 19 pain patients for its comprehensibility and item meanings, as well as offensiveness. Data were assessed using nonparametric statistical methods. Results: The German translation of the IEQ showed a high degree of comprehensibility. The items’ meanings and participants’ selected answer options were rated as highly plausible by two raters. Item wordings were rated neither as offensive nor unacceptable by participants. The German translation of the english term “negligence” in item 3 by the term “Unachtsamkeit” was assessed as misunderstandable, therefore it was replaced by the term “Unaufmerksamkeit". Conclusion: The study attests the cultural and linguistic intelligibility and precision of the German translation of the IEQ. In a follow-up study, the translation should be validated in a larger sample of pain patients.
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    Executive functions deficits impair extinction of generalization of fear of movement‐related pain
    (European Journal of Pain, 2017-01-05) Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Meulders, M.; Meulders, A.; Struyf, D.; Vlaeyen, J.
    Background Generalization of fear of movement‐related pain across novel but similar movements can lead to fear responses to movements that are actually not associated with pain. The peak‐shift effect describes a phenomenon whereby particular novel movements elicit even greater fear responses than the original pain‐provoking movement (CS+), because they represent a more extreme version of the CS+. There is great variance in the propensity to generalize as well as the speed of extinction learning when these novel movements are not followed by pain. It can be argued that this variance may be associated with executive function capacity, as individuals may be unable to intentionally inhibit fear responses. This study examined whether executive function capacity contributes to generalization and extinction of generalization as well as peak‐shift of conditioned fear of movement‐related pain and expectancy. Methods Healthy participants performed a proprioceptive fear conditioning task. Executive function tests assessing updating, switching, and inhibition were used to predict changes in (extinction of) fear of movement‐related pain and pain expectancy generalization. Results Low inhibitory capacity was associated with slower extinction of generalized fear of movement‐related pain and pain expectancy. Evidence was found in favor of an area‐shift, rather than a peak‐shift effect, which implies that the peak conditioned fear response extended to, but did not shift to a novel stimulus. Conclusions Participants with low inhibitory capacity may have difficulties withholding fear responses, leading to a slower decrease of generalized fear over time. The findings may be relevant to inform treatments. Significance Low inhibitory capacity is not associated with slower generalization, but extinction of fear generalization. Fear elicited by a novel safe movement, situated outside the CS+/− continuum on the CS+ side, can be as strong as to the original stimulus predicting the pain‐onset.
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    An Experimental Approach to Examining Psychological Contributions to Multisite Musculoskeletal Pain.
    (Elsevier, 2014-08-29) Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Slepian, P.; Mankovsky-Arnold, T.; Lariviere, C.; Vlaeyen, J.; Sullivan, M. J. L.
    The present study examined the prospective value of pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, and depression in the prediction of multisite musculoskeletal pain following experimentally induced delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The study sample consisted of 119 (63 females, 56 males) healthy university students. Measures of pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, and depression were completed prior to the DOMS induction procedure. Analyses revealed that pain catastrophizing and fear of pain prospectively predicted the experience of multisite pain following DOMS induction. Analyses also revealed that women were more likely to experience multisite pain than men. There was no significant relation between depressive symptoms and the experience of multisite pain. The discussion addresses the mechanisms by which pain catastrophizing and fear of pain might contribute to the spreading of pain. Clinical implications of the findings are also addressed. Perspective: The results of this experimental study suggest that pain catastrophizing and fear of pain might increase the risk of developing multisite pain following musculoskeletal injury.
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    Factor Structure, Reliability, and Known Groups Validity of the German Language version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Short-Form) in Swiss Patients and Non-Patients.
    (Taylor and Francis, 2014-03-18) Karos, K.; Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Abidi, L.; Bader, K.; Bernstein, D.
    he Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form is the most widely used instrument to assess childhood trauma and has been translated into 10 languages. However, research into validity and reliability of these translated versions is scarce. The present study aimed to investigate the factor structure, internal consistency, reliability, and known-groups validity of the German Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (Bernstein & Fink, 1998). Six-hundred and sixty-one clinical and nonclinical participants completed the German Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the 5-factor structure of the original Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form. To investigate known-groups validity, the confirmatory factor analysis latent factor levels between clinical and nonclinical participants were compared. The original 5-factor structure was confirmed, with only the Physical Neglect scale showing rather poor fit. As a conclusion, the results support the validity and reliability of the German Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form. It is recommended to use the German Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form to assess experiences of childhood trauma.
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    Pain Catastrophizing and Fear of Pain predict the Experience of Pain in Body Parts not targeted by a Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness procedure
    (Elsevier, 2015-08-12) Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Meulders, A.; Meulders, M.; Slepian, P.; Vlaeyen, J.; Sullivan, M. J. L.
    The present study examined whether pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear predict the experience of pain in body regions that are not targeted by an experimental muscle injury protocol. A delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) protocol was used to induce pain unilaterally in the pectoralis, serratus, trapezius, latissimus dorsi, and deltoid muscles. The day after the DOMS protocol, participants were asked to rate their pain as they lifted weighted canisters with their targeted (ie, injured) arm and their nontargeted arm. The lifting task is a nonnoxious stimulus unless participants are already experiencing musculoskeletal pain. Therefore, reports of pain on the nontargeted arm were operationalized as pain in response to a nonnoxious stimulus. Eighty-two healthy university students (54 men, 28 women) completed questionnaires on pain catastrophizing and fear of pain and went through the DOMS protocol. The analyses revealed that catastrophizing and pain-related fear prospectively predicted pain experience in response to a nonnoxious stimulus. The possible mechanisms underlying this effect and clinical implications are discussed.
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    Prenatal stress exposure is associated with increased dyspnea perception in adulthood
    (2017-08-17) von Leupoldt, A; Mangelschots, E.; Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Braeken, M.; Billiet, T.; Van den Bergh, B.
    Dyspnoea is the aversive cardinal symptom in various prevalent conditions such as respiratory, cardiovascular and neuromuscular diseases and is associated with great individual and socioeconomic burden [1]. Over the past years, several physiological and also psychological factors have been demonstrated to affect the perception of dyspnoea [1, 2]. For example, high levels of anxiety in adulthood were associated with increased dyspnoea perception in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but also in healthy controls [2]. Moreover, adverse, separation-related experiences in childhood were linked to the subsequent development of increased anxiety and dyspnoea [3]. However, the effects of adverse experiences in early, prenatal life on dyspnoea perception remain widely unknown, although prenatal exposure to maternal stress and anxiety has convincingly been related to the development of other health and behavioural problems later in life, including impairments of the respiratory control system and high anxiety levels [4–9]. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between prenatal exposure to maternal stress and the perception of dyspnoea in adulthood 28 years later.
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    Reducing Social Stress Elicits Emotional Contagion of Pain in Mouse and Human Strangers.
    (Elsevier, 2015-01-15) Mirali, S.; Isbester, K.; Martin, L.; Hathaway, G.; Isbester, K.; Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Slepian, P.; Trost, Z.; Sternberg, W.; Sapolsky, R.
    Empathy for another’s physical pain has been demonstrated in humans [1] and mice [2]; in both species, empathy is stronger between familiars. Stress levels in stranger dyads are higher than in cagemate dyads or isolated mice [2, 3], suggesting that stress might be responsible for the absence of empathy for the pain of strangers. We show here that blockade of glucocorticoid synthesis or receptors for adrenal stress hormones elicits the expression of emotional contagion (a form of empathy) in strangers of both species. Mice and undergraduates were tested for sensitivity to noxious stimulation alone and/or together (dyads). In familiar, but not stranger, pairs, dyadic testing was associated with increased pain behaviors or ratings compared to isolated testing. Pharmacological blockade of glucocorticoid synthesis or glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors enabled the expression of emotional contagion of pain in mouse and human stranger dyads, as did a shared gaming experience (the video game Rock Band) in human strangers. Our results demonstrate that emotional contagion is prevented, in an evolutionarily conserved manner, by the stress of a social interaction with an unfamiliar conspecific and can be evoked by blocking the endocrine stress response.
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    Validierung der deutschen Übersetzung des Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ) in 5 ambulanten Schmerzbehandlungseinrichtungen
    (Springer, 2018-11-28) Steiger, B.; Welsch, K.; Niederstrasser, Nils Georg; Hartmann, S.; Nilges, P.; Ljutow, A.; Ettlin, D.
    Introduction Occupational and social rehabilitation can be influenced by perceived injustice that results from pain. Currently, the Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ), the tool most commonly used to assess perceived injustice, is not available in German. The aim of this study was the validation of the German-language version of the IEQ. Materials and methods The validation of the IEQ was carried out via a web-based survey. For this purpose, participants completed the IEQ and construct-related scales analogous to the original study Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), Depression scale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (D-DASS), Pain Disability Index (PDI), and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). In addition, the participants completed questions on their socioeconomic status and on the cause of their pain, taken from the German Pain Questionnaire. Results Of 223 respondents, 134 (60.1%) returned a completed questionnaire and were included in the study. In all, 26.1% of participants reported suffering from pain resulting from accidents. None of the reviewed one- to three-factor solutions for the IEQ’s structure achieved a good model fit. The best results were found for a two-factor solution, whereby the exploratory factor analysis revealed almost all items loaded highly on both factors and the confirmatory factor analysis showed high correlations between the factors. These findings are consistent with previous studies. The IEQ correlated highly and significantly with the other psychological instruments. There were no floor or ceiling effects. Cronbach’s α for the German IEQ version was 0.93 and thus attests a high level of internal consistency. Conclusion The analyses attest the excellent psychometric properties of the German translation of the IEQ and so the German-language version of the IEQ can be used as a validated questionnaire to screen for perceived injustice.