The stages of pain processing across the adult lifespan

The purpose of this study was is to examine age-related differences in a 4- stage model of the processing of chronic pain. This study used data collect ed from 1585 chronic pain patients that were divided into 3 age cohorts: yo unger adults 18-44 years old (n = 895), middle-aged adults 45-64 years old (n = 538), older adults 65-85 years old (n = 159). Using an analyasis of co variate analysis (ANCOVA) model, mean differences across the age cohort wer e found on the third (emotional distress) and fourth (pain behavior) stages of the pain processing model. The older adult group reported less emotiona l response to pain and less pain behavior than the younger or middle-aged g roups. Age cohort differences in the linear relationship between stages wer e tested using structural equation modeling. The middle-aged group showed t he highest association between their emotional responses to pain and pain b ehaviors, and the older group showed the least association. No differences in magnitude or association were found for the 2 initial stages of pain pro cessing (usual pain intensity or pain unpleasantness). These differences ar e likely to be a function of differences in life circumstances, attitudes a nd beliefs about pain and/or aging, and age cohort-related differences in t he methods used for coping with chronic pain.