Perception of Pain in Others: Implication for Caregivers

Abstract

SUMMARY The subjective nature of pain renders its perception in others a challenge for clinicians and informal caregivers responsible for its assessment and relief. Adequate perception of others‘ pain relies on different behavioral and neurophysiological mechanisms. Several individual, relational and contextual factors can influence the way the brain reacts to others‘ pain and the perception and assessment of this pain. This article focuses on recent neurophysiological and psychological evidence that characterizes these factors, and discusses their potential impact on the perception of others‘ pain in a caregiving context. Factors influencing the perception of pain in others are divided into factors related to the self (caregiver), factors related to the other (patient), and factors related to the relationship between those individuals and the context in which the pain is perceived. We propose that the perception of others‘ pain plays a crucial role in the treatment provided by clinicians and informal caregivers, and that further research could lead to improving decision-making regarding pain management.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their useful and constructive comments on this paper.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

M-P Coll and PL Jackson are supported respectively by a scholarship and a salary grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). M-P Coll and M Grégoire are grateful to the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale (CIRRIS) for awarding them graduate scholarships. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

M-P Coll and PL Jackson are supported respectively by a scholarship and a salary grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). M-P Coll and M Grégoire are grateful to the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale (CIRRIS) for awarding them graduate scholarships. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.