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NCT Number: NCT07280338

Emotional Intelligence and Chronic Orofacial Pain

Chronic pain, lasting more than three months, is a widespread health issue that negatively impacts daily life, leading to significant emotional distress and functional impairment. Emotional intelligence, defined as the ability to recognize and manage one's own emotions as well as those of others, has been linked to better communication skills and reduced stress, which is a well-known risk factor for chronic pain. Studies have highlighted a correlation between emotional intelligence and certain chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia and migraines. However, no research has yet explored its role in painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Given the strong involvement of psychosocial factors in TMD etiology, a better understanding of these elements could improve pain management and pave the way for preventive interventions.

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Key information

Conditions

Chronic Pain Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

CHU DE BREST - Médecine bucco-dentaire

Brest, 29200, France

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Anaïs LE FUR BONNABESSE, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

0298223330

About this study

This project aims to compare emotional intelligence and various psychosocial factors (anxiety, depression, coping, emotional regulation) between patients with painful temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and a control group without TMD or chronic pain. The study is based on the administration of validated French-language questionnaires during routine dental medicine consultations. Each participant completes these questionnaires in approximately 15 minutes, without any modification to their care. The data collected will help assess the relationships between orofacial pain and emotional factors to improve the understanding and management of affected patients.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

For all subjects:

Major subject

  • Non-opposition obtained
  • For subjects in the TMD group:

Diagnosis of temporomandibular dysfunction -No other diagnosis of chronic pain

For subjects in the control group:

-No diagnosis of chronic pain

Non inclusion Criteria:

  • Subject not understanding French
  • Subject under legal protection (guardianship or curatorship)
  • Refusal to participate

Treatment and study plan

Questionnaire and Physical Exam

Other

All included subjects will be required to complete the following questionnaires:

Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Brief-COPE for coping assessment Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS) for emotional regulation Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for fatigue assessment Sociodemographic and psychosocial evaluation Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire - Short Form (TEIQue-SF) for emotional intelligence assessment

Primary outcomes

  1. Measurement of emotional intelligence score between both groups

    Time frame: Day 0

    Measurement of emotional intelligence score assessed by the TEIQue-SF questionnaire :

    The short version consists of 33 items assessing four factors: well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability. Each item is rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 ("strongly disagree") to 7 ("strongly agree").

Secondary outcomes

  1. Measurement of anxiety disorders between both groups

    Time frame: Day 0

    Measurement of anxiety disorders between the two groups via the HAD-S questionnaire

    The HAD scale is a validated instrument in French, used to screen for anxiety and depressive disorders. It consists of 14 items scored from 0 to 3. Seven questions relate to anxiety (total A) and the other seven to the depressive dimension (total D), thus providing two scores (maximum score for each = 21). This questionnaire is routinely used during consultations in the oral health service and systematically used during specialized consultations for orofacial pain.

  2. Measurement of the coping score between both groups

    Time frame: Day 0

    Measurement of the coping score assessed by the Brief-COPE questionnaire

    This instrument is an abbreviated version of the COPE inventory with 28 items. It includes 14 scales that assess distinct dimensions of coping: active coping, planning, instrumental social support seeking, emotional social support seeking, emotional expression, behavioral disengagement, distraction, blaming, positive reinterpretation, humor, denial, acceptance, religion, and substance use.

  3. Measurement of emotional regulation score between both groups

    Time frame: Day 0

    Measurement of emotional regulation score assessed by the ERS questionnaire

    The ERS is a self-report questionnaire with 21 items designed to measure, using a single tool, three dimensions of emotional reactivity: emotional sensitivity, intensity, and persistence of emotions. Each item is rated on a Likert scale ranging from 0 ("does not apply to me at all") to 4 ("applies to me perfectly").

  4. Measurement of fatigue score between both groups

    Time frame: Day 0

    Measurement of fatigue score assessed by an EVA scale (From 0 to 10)

  5. Measurement of Depression disorders between both groups

    Time frame: Day 0

    Measurement of depression disorders between both groups via the HAD-S questionnaire

    The HAD scale is a validated instrument in French, used to screen for anxiety and depressive disorders. It consists of 14 items scored from 0 to 3. Seven questions relate to anxiety (total A) and the other seven to the depressive dimension (total D), thus providing two scores (maximum score for each = 21). This questionnaire is routinely used during consultations in the oral health service and systematically used during specialized consultations for orofacial pain.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Anais LE FUR-BONNABESSE, Dr

CONTACT

[email protected]

0298223330

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Brest

Other

Registry information

Acronym: IEDOF

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Dec 12, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 16, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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