Toward the social communication model of pain

Abstract

Understanding the impact of the social environment on human pain is essential to development of pain prevention and intervention strategies. Social factors determine whether there is exposure to pain, how it is experienced and expressed, and whether adequate treatment is provided. Inadequate prevention, assessment, and treatment are common, leading to high levels of needless pain. The importance of social factors as determinants of pain appears particularly the case for humans. The evolved human brain permitted adaptations to complex social environments and considerable sensitivity to social contexts with an impact on how pain is experienced. Cognitive and social processes assume more important roles in experiencing and responding to pain with humans than is the case with less complex species. The social communications model of pain integrates an understanding of social determinants of pain with psychological and biological systems. The biological systems evolved to support healthy behavioral adaptations to the challenges of living in complex environments.