European Journal of Psychotraumatology

Intersection between pain and posttraumatic stress symptoms: A special issue on pain and posttraumatic stress symptoms

Pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are both highly prevalent after traumatic events and may contribute substantially to disability and suffering, thus representing significant public health challenges. In past decades, a growing interest has also emerged in their common co-occurrence and interconnectedness, among others suggesting shared risk factors and a potentially mutually reinforcing relationship. Despite growing research effort, their complex relationship remains poorly understood, with numerous of unresolved questions concerning risk factors, mechanisms, and other related aspects. Further, important clinical challenges remain in terms of valid assessment and effective treatment.

Given the current state of field, we therefore argue there is a pressing need for high-quality research employing different methods to advance the understanding, assessment, and treatment of pain and PTSD, including systematic syntheses of recent empirical findings. Therefore, this special issue invites researchers to submit empirical, literature based, and theoretical scientific papers that will further advance the knowledge base on pain and PTSD. Both pain and PTSD are broadly understood as including both acute, persistent, and more complex symptomatology and diagnoses. This includes all types and causes of pain. Further, studies from different settings and cultures are highly encouraged, also with different understandings and conceptualizations of the responses in question.