Puberty and Gender in Pain Responsivity
Female predominance in certain chronic pain syndromes begins to arise in adolescence, suggesting that age or puberty may be a marker for the emergence of gender differentiation in pain.
Research shows estrogen affects pain sensitivity, however, studies have not always found higher pain responsivity in the luteal phase of menses (when estrogen levels are high) compared to the follicular phase (when estrogen is relatively low). This suggests that there are other factors which modulate the effects of estrogen on pain responses.
The aims of this study are to:
1. Examine among healthy children the effects of gender, puberty and psychological vulnerability on pain responsivity as measured by subjective, behavioral, autonomic, endocrine and pituitary-adrenal responses to three types of laboratory pain tasks
2. Examine interactions between gender, puberty, and psychological vulnerability in three types of pain responses (tolerance, intensity ratings and distress ratings)
3. Determine the effects of stage of menses (luteal vs. follicular) and dysmenorrhea on pain responsivity among post-menarchal female adolescents.
This study is an initial step
in understanding the role of puberty in the developmental trajectory of
gender differences in pain responsivity from childhood to adulthood.
To enroll in this study call
Su Kim at (310)825-0731 or
e-mail her.