View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

Psychological factors mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and pain intensity in women with endometriosis: a cross-sectional study.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Psychological factors mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and pain intensity in women with endometriosis: a cross-sectional study.
Authors: Merola, Mariagrazia (AUTHOR), Cosma, Stefano (AUTHOR), Melotti, Chiara (AUTHOR), Aral, Elisa (AUTHOR), Berchialla, Paola (AUTHOR), Zanaga, Giulia (AUTHOR), Cacciato, Giovanna (AUTHOR), Tancredi, Annalisa (AUTHOR), Ostacoli, Luca (AUTHOR), Benedetto, Chiara (AUTHOR), Carletto, Sara (AUTHOR)
Source: Psychology, Health & Medicine. Jul2026, Vol. 31 Issue 6, p1596-1612. 17p.
Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder, Pain measurement, Cross-sectional method, Research funding, Questionnaires, Anxiety, Descriptive statistics, Structural equation modeling, Endometriosis, Pain, Quality of life, Women's health, Pain catastrophizing, Confidence intervals, Factor analysis, Data analysis software, Mental depression
Abstract: Endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory condition often characterized by chronic pelvic pain, significantly impacts women's quality of life. While psychological distress, including depression and anxiety, is prevalent in women with endometriosis, the influence of trauma exposure on pain perception remains poorly understood. Although previous research has shown that psychological factors can mediate the link between trauma and pain in other chronic pain conditions, this relationship has not yet been systematically investigated in women with endometriosis. This study therefore aimed to investigate whether psychological factors mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and pain intensity in women with endometriosis. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an Endometriosis outpatient referral center enrolling consecutive female patients with a clinical and/or histologic diagnosis of endometriosis. Clinical parameters, socio-demographic information, exposure to traumatic experiences, symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and pain catastrophizing levels were collected during gynecological examinations using specific questionnaires. Of the 156 women invited, 120 agreed to participate (response rate 76.9%). Nearly half of the participants reported clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety, while a quarter reported significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress and pain catastrophizing. Approximately half of the participants reported experiencing one or more traumatic events. The study confirmed the presence of a relationship between a history of trauma and pain perception; however, whilst no direct association was found between the two, symptoms of depression and pain catastrophizing were identified to act as mediators of the relationship between the two. The findings of this study highlight the complex interplay between trauma exposure, psychological symptoms and pain perception in women affected by endometriosis. Addressing these psychological aspects could offer a viable strategy for improving pain management and overall quality of life in women with endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Psychology, Health & Medicine is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 194804709
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Psychological factors mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and pain intensity in women with endometriosis: a cross-sectional study.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Merola%2C+Mariagrazia%22">Merola, Mariagrazia</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cosma%2C+Stefano%22">Cosma, Stefano</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Melotti%2C+Chiara%22">Melotti, Chiara</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Aral%2C+Elisa%22">Aral, Elisa</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Berchialla%2C+Paola%22">Berchialla, Paola</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zanaga%2C+Giulia%22">Zanaga, Giulia</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cacciato%2C+Giovanna%22">Cacciato, Giovanna</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tancredi%2C+Annalisa%22">Tancredi, Annalisa</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ostacoli%2C+Luca%22">Ostacoli, Luca</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Benedetto%2C+Chiara%22">Benedetto, Chiara</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Carletto%2C+Sara%22">Carletto, Sara</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Psychology%2C+Health+%26+Medicine%22">Psychology, Health & Medicine</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 31 Issue 6, p1596-1612. 17p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Post-traumatic+stress+disorder%22">Post-traumatic stress disorder</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pain+measurement%22">Pain measurement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cross-sectional+method%22">Cross-sectional method</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Questionnaires%22">Questionnaires</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety%22">Anxiety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Structural+equation+modeling%22">Structural equation modeling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Endometriosis%22">Endometriosis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pain%22">Pain</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Quality+of+life%22">Quality of life</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Women's+health%22">Women's health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pain+catastrophizing%22">Pain catastrophizing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Confidence+intervals%22">Confidence intervals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Factor+analysis%22">Factor analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis+software%22">Data analysis software</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+depression%22">Mental depression</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory condition often characterized by chronic pelvic pain, significantly impacts women's quality of life. While psychological distress, including depression and anxiety, is prevalent in women with endometriosis, the influence of trauma exposure on pain perception remains poorly understood. Although previous research has shown that psychological factors can mediate the link between trauma and pain in other chronic pain conditions, this relationship has not yet been systematically investigated in women with endometriosis. This study therefore aimed to investigate whether psychological factors mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and pain intensity in women with endometriosis. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an Endometriosis outpatient referral center enrolling consecutive female patients with a clinical and/or histologic diagnosis of endometriosis. Clinical parameters, socio-demographic information, exposure to traumatic experiences, symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and pain catastrophizing levels were collected during gynecological examinations using specific questionnaires. Of the 156 women invited, 120 agreed to participate (response rate 76.9%). Nearly half of the participants reported clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety, while a quarter reported significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress and pain catastrophizing. Approximately half of the participants reported experiencing one or more traumatic events. The study confirmed the presence of a relationship between a history of trauma and pain perception; however, whilst no direct association was found between the two, symptoms of depression and pain catastrophizing were identified to act as mediators of the relationship between the two. The findings of this study highlight the complex interplay between trauma exposure, psychological symptoms and pain perception in women affected by endometriosis. Addressing these psychological aspects could offer a viable strategy for improving pain management and overall quality of life in women with endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Psychology, Health & Medicine is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194804709
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/13548506.2025.2564309
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 17
        StartPage: 1596
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Post-traumatic stress disorder
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pain measurement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cross-sectional method
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Questionnaires
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Structural equation modeling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Endometriosis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pain
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Quality of life
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Women's health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pain catastrophizing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Confidence intervals
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Factor analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental depression
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Psychological factors mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and pain intensity in women with endometriosis: a cross-sectional study.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Merola, Mariagrazia
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Cosma, Stefano
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Melotti, Chiara
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Aral, Elisa
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Berchialla, Paola
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zanaga, Giulia
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Cacciato, Giovanna
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Tancredi, Annalisa
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Ostacoli, Luca
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Benedetto, Chiara
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Carletto, Sara
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 07
              Text: Jul2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 13548506
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 31
            – Type: issue
              Value: 6
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Psychology, Health & Medicine
              Type: main
ResultId 1