SUB-GROUPING HEALTHY SUBJECTS' SENSITIVITY TO PAIN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERSONALITY TRAITS 
Hadas Grouper1, Elon Eisenberg2,3 and Dorit Pud1 
1Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel; 
2The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel; 3Institute of Pain Medicine, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel

Background: From the bio-psychosocial perspective, a major area of interest which still remains unclear in the context of sensitivity to pain, is the role of personality traits in pain responses. 
Aim: The present study aimed to examine personality characteristics in low versus high sensitivity to pain healthy individuals. 
Methods: Low and high sensitivity to pain (LSP n= 73 and HSP n=80, respectively) healthy individuals were identified according to their tolerability to cold stimulation (CPT, 1˚C). Seven dimensions of personality traits were evaluated: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness (Big Five Personality Questionnaire, NEO-FFI), catastrophizing (PCS) and optimism (LOT-R). 
Results: In comparison to LSP, the HSP had significantly higher scores of extraversion (42.6±5.4 vs. 39.7±6.3, respectively; p=0.003) and catastrophizing (30.1±11.0 vs. 22.9±10.3, respectively; p<0.001). In addition, catastrophizing significantly mediated the relationship between neuroticism and pain sensitivity (indirect effect= -1.07, 95% CI= -1.7, -0.4). 
Conclusions: These findings add one more layer of evidence regarding the relationships between personality characteristics and pain sensitivity. Specifically, the results are in line with some basic personality characteristics of high-score of extraversion, neuroticism and catastrophized individuals, who tend to be fearful, attention seeking, have a tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily (e.g., pain) and perceived threatening together with eliciting catastrophizing thoughts. Such responses and behaviors are consistent with the high level of sensitivity to pain displayed by these individuals.

SUB-GROUPING HEALTHY SUBJECTS´ SENSITIVITY TO PAIN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERSONALITY TRAITS