# Examining domains of trauma response and their link to chronic pain

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $133,891

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Physical and emotional trauma are linked to numerous negative health effects, including a nearly three-fold
increase in the odds of reporting chronic pain. Research suggests that post-traumatic chronic pain is preceded
by at least three classes of factors (i.e., psychological, neurobiological, and social) that might allow for earlier
identification of vulnerable individuals. Yet, current data used to elucidate potential mechanisms linking
traumatic events to pain development have been limited. Capturing longitudinal data that identifies early risk
factors and vulnerabilities to pain is particularly difficult. Additionally, few studies have evaluated the role of
social perception and sensitivity to negative social stimuli (i.e., ‘social sensitivity’) as potential mediators linking
trauma exposure to physical pain. The current proposal seeks to address these limitations by integrating
multiple domains and levels of analysis to examine the impact of traumatic response on the development and
persistence of chronic pain. The project will first leverage existing longitudinal and experimental data collected
as part of the Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA (AURORA) study (NIMH U01MH110925) to
explore psychological and neurobiological contributions to post-traumatic pain vulnerability. The project will
then expand beyond the data available in AURORA by conducting an experimental study in participants with
varying histories of trauma and clinical pain characteristics to examine the associations between social
perception and sensitivity, trauma sequelae, and pain. The study will utilize experimental paradigms
measuring emotion perception, perspective-taking, and social sensitivity and assess these social processing
factors as potential mediators of the association between trauma sequelae and pain characteristics. The
association between survey measures of social perception and pain symptoms will also be assessed over
time. This research proposal is part of a larger training plan that allows the candidate to develop expertise in
trauma and pain, longitudinal data analysis, and experimental methodology; and leadership skills through
management of a small study team. The candidate has assembled a mentorship team of experts with
extensive expertise in pain phenotyping, trauma, experimental methodology, and statistical analysis.
Combined with the rich environment of the University of Michigan, this award will provide focused training to
establish a unique niche of expertise and an independent research program focused on the intersection of
trauma and pain. It will also provide critical preliminary data for future funding dedicated to advancing our
understanding in this critical area of research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10491150
- **Project number:** 5K01MH126079-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer Pierce
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $133,891
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-20 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10491150

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10491150, Examining domains of trauma response and their link to chronic pain (5K01MH126079-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10491150. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*