AUTHOR=Arnison Tor , Zhao Xiang 

TITLE=Do both the research community and the general public share an interest in the sleep–pain relationship, and do they influence each other?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1198190

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1198190

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Chronic pain and sleep disturbance bidirectionally influence each other in a negative spiral. Although this knowledge is known by researchers, it is imperative to bridge it over to the general public because of its applied implications. However, it is unclear how academia and the general public reciprocally shape each other in terms of knowledge of the sleep–pain relationship. The purpose of this study was (1) to assess the longitudinal trajectories of research on the sleep–pain relationship and the general public’s interest in this topic and (2) to examine whether the academic interest leads to the general public’s interest, or vice versa. 

We used a Big Data approach to gather data from scientific databases and a public search engine. Data was transformed into time trends, representing the quantity of published research on, and the general public’s interest in, the sleep–pain relationship. The time trends were visually presented and analyzed via DSEM.

The frequency of both published articles and searches soared after 2004. Published research leads to an increased interest in the sleep–pain relationship among the general public but does not predict more published articles. Furthermore, the general public’s interest reinforces itself over time but does not predict published research. 

These results are encouraging since it is essential for research on the sleep–pain relationship to reach a broader audience, beyond the walls of academia. However, to prevent a potential alienation between academic and practical knowledge, we encourage openness among researchers to being inspired by the general public’s knowledge of the sleep–pain relationship.