Temperament and Pain Response: A Review of the Literature

Pain is a subjective and uniquely lived experience. Because reactions to pain vary so widely from one person to another, and better pain management remains a major issue in our attempt to resolve pain and suffering of varying populations, we need to generate interventions that better target interindividual variations. One research avenue could be the study of each person’s own biologic and psychologic makeup. Within this path, individual temperament is a rich and fascinating terrain to consider. The purpose of the present article is to describe the relationship between individual temperament and pain response (and pain perception) by searching the literature. Nursing implications regarding this theme are then discussed.