The ACE-MAP Study: Investigating the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on sensory thresholds in adults living with Multimorbidity And chronic Pain

Our experiences in childhood shape our entire lives. Unfortunately some people are exposed to negative or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and the effects of these can last into adulthood. An ACE might be something done to you (like being abused), something not done for you (like being neglected), or something happening around you (like domestic violence).

For many people this is a very sensitive issue and it is often not something that they discuss openly. However, recent research has suggested that people with ACEs are more likely to have poor health in adulthood than people without ACEs. This may be because they develop multiple long-term health conditions (known as multimorbidity), or because specific conditions are more severe (for example chronic pain). The more research we can do on ACEs, the better we can understand how they influence our long-term health.

We all have an inbuilt pain-relieving system that helps reduce pain. Strong pain-relieving medications like morphine work by activating this system. In this study we are researching whether ACEs alter how our inbuilt pain-relieving system works. We will do this by measuring how we respond to sensations like temperature, light touch, vibration, or pin-prick. This knowledge is important, as it may help us understand whether people with ACEs need different types of pain-relieving treatment.

This study is a feasibility study, also known as a pilot study. This means we are testing how the study is designed and run, so that we can plan a full-scale study to be as effective as possible.

The ACE-MAP Study has been approved by the Scotland B Research Ethics Committee and the NHS Tayside Research & Development Department.

You can find out more details by reading the ACE-MAP Participant Information Sheet.

If you are interested in taking part in this study then please get in touch at ACE-MAPStudy@dundee.ac.uk or on 01382 385 374 (Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00). We would love to hear from you!