The following is a summary of “Distortions to the passage of time during chronic pain: A mixed method study,” published in the November 2023 issue of Pain by Ogden et al.

Researchers performed a retrospective study to investigate the impact of chronic pain on the perception of time passage to enhance pain assessment and treatment.

They conducted a mixed-methods cross-sectional study investigating the experiences of the passage of time in individuals identifying as living with chronic pain (n = 398).

The results showed that chronic pain commonly decelerates the perception of time. A higher pain intensity, persistent rumination about pain, feelings of helplessness, and identifying as disabled were linked to a more pronounced slowing of time. Thematic analysis of responses to open-ended questions indicated that the time slowdown during pain was related to pain intrusion hindering activities that would typically accelerate the passage of time, heightened attention to time, and a retrospective sense that chronic pain had ‘lost’ time throughout life.

Investigators concluded that chronic pain significantly distorts time perception, amplifying perceived pain duration and intensifying patient distress.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejp.2211