Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Chronic pain, commonly defined as a persistent unpleasant sensory experience lasting longer than three months, is very common following common surgical procedures. Approximately 10-50% of Canadians continue to suffer with long-term pain years after surgery. Chronic pain is not only a burden to the patient and family, but also drains the healthcare system of resources. An important factor in the development and maintenance of chronic pain is how people attend to pain and pain-related stimuli, although research on this topic is currently limited. My doctoral research project will examine the attentional patterns of individuals before and after surgery to determine if this predicts the transition from acute to chronic pain. In order to assess attention, participants about to undergo surgery will complete a series of attentional tasks using eye-tracking equipment and will complete questionnaires before surgery and at two time points after surgery. The results of this project will contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between attention and pain in individuals who go on to develop chronic pain in comparison to those who do not. This project will help in the development of future psychological treatments to reduce the risk of developing chronic post-surgical pain.