The tripartite structure of pain-related affect: a confirmatory factor analysis

Numerous emotion-based constructs seem related to pain and pain-related disability. These include general affect constructs such as anxiety and depression, as well as specific anxiety-related constructs such as anxiety sensitivity and fear of pain. Few studies examine the relationships between these constructs. Those that have suggest they can be reduced to three or four underlying components. We used a confirmatory approach to test the models of pain-related anxiety found in previous exploratory studies. Adult participants (N=294) completed commonly used measures of affect-related constructs relevant to pain. Confirmatory Factor Analyses tested three models to determine the best fit. The tripartite model, with small modifications, was found to provide the best fit. The model consisted of: 1) General distress, 2) Fear of pain from injury/insult, and 3) Cognitive intrusion of pain.