PhD Student

Current Research

Physical activity is essential for maintaining body fitness and cardiovascular health. The majority of studies adopt the view that individuals with chronic pain are vulnerable to diminished physical movements and disabilities due to their pain sensitization and other maladaptive pain-related cognitions, such as rumination, kinesiophobia, and pain catastrophizing. On the other hand, a group of researchers identifies a subset of patients with chronic pain who report excessive physical activity and task persistence despite the presence of intermittent or constant pain episodes, a phenomenon known as pain-related endurance response, which may paradoxically deteriorate the pain intensity in the subsequent period. Given the role of sleep in regulating individuals' emotions and cognitive functioning, I intend to investigate the daily associations between sleep quality, pain-related cognitions, and objectively-measured physical activities (i.e., accelerometers) among individuals with chronic pain. More specifically, I aim to apply advanced statistical techniques (i.e., multilevel modeling, linear mixed-effects modeling, and Network Analysis) to understand the temporal dynamics between these variables over time. It is expected that my research topic will provide insights into how good sleep quality may alter maladaptive sleep-related cognitions, preventing individuals from being entrenched by the vicious loop of deteriorating sleep, abnormal physical activities, and more frequent and intense pain complaints.

Supervisors

Prof. Nicole Tang

Dr. Mark Elliott

Research Groups

Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Group

Warwick Sleep and Pain Laboratory

Warwick Study of Mental Defeat in Chronic Pain (WITHIN)

First name: Peter
Last name: To
Email address: Peter.To@Warwick.Ac.Uk

Peter To