Date of Completion

4-18-2024

Thesis Advisor(s)

Eileen Condon

Honors Major

Nursing

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing | Pain Management

Abstract

For centuries, pain and pain management has been a driving force in the world of healthcare. Industries continue to strive for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind pain sensitivities as well as the best interventions available to overcome these mechanisms. While many of the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, recent research suggests a possible correlation between one’s personal experiences early in life and their perceptions of pain later in adulthood. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Questionnaire, designed and published in 1998, consists of 10 measures of childhood trauma that can inform healthcare providers of individuals who may require trauma-informed care protocols(Felitti et al., 1998). These same experiences may also increase an individual’s risk for complications, such as varying pain tolerances, later in life. If this correlation exists, healthcare providers would be able to better predict and respond to the various pain tolerances and sensitivities that patients experience. In an attempt to determine if there is a significant effect of ACEs on pain outcomes, a study was conducted with a subset of undergraduate student participants who were enrolled in the PACER RCT study. Participants were asked to complete both an ACEs questionnaire as well as a quantitative testing portion that measured the participant’s pain tolerance levels to various modalities of pain. After statistical analysis of the data was conducted, slight positive correlations were identified between individuals who had experienced high amounts of childhood trauma, as indicated on the ACEs questionnaire, and their pain outcomes during quantitative sensory testing. Though the overall results of the study were statistically insignificant due to small sample sizes, the findings suggest a possible connection between pain and early childhood experiences. This topic needs to be studied further in hopes of better informing future clinical practices regarding pain management among patients.

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