Does anger regulation style matter for pain behavior after suppressing anger?

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Suppressing anger has been linked to later pain intensity in patients with chronic low back pain. Researchers sought to determine whether a person's characteristic style of expressing anger outwardly or holding it in moderated that link, and whether aroused anger accounted for links between anger regulation style and pain.

The study assigned 58 patients with chronic low back pain to either a Suppression or No Suppression condition during a task involving a harassing confederate. They then underwent structured pain behavior procedures. The Spielberger Anger Expression Inventory measured trait anger-out (AOS) and anger-in (AIS). Regression analyses tested interactions between the emotion regulation condition and AOS and AIS on the outcomes.

In the Suppression condition, AOS was related to grimacing and sighing, while AIS was negatively related to guarding and bracing. Reported anger partly mediated the effects for both AOS and AIS. The authors concluded that anger regulation style moderated the effects of suppressing anger in the moment on subsequent pain behaviors, and that aroused anger partly explained those effects.