The use and impact of self-monitoring on substance use outcomes: A descriptive systematic review.

Background: Self-Monitoring (SM), the act of observing ones' own behavior, has been used in substance use treatment because SM may bring conscious awareness to automatized substance use behaviors. Empirical findings regarding SM's effectiveness are mixed. The aim of this study was to synthesize the literature for the efficacy of SM on substance use. Method: A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed. Results: Out of 2,659 citations, 41 studies with 126 analyses were included. Among analyses from studies rated Moderate (n = 24) or Strong (n = 3) quality, SM was shown to have a helpful effect (e.g., reducing substance use) 29% of the time; to have no effect 63.0% of the time; and to be detrimental in 8.0% of analyses. SM's helpful effects were associated with methodological characteristics including longer monitoring and Phone/IVR and EMA/Computer methodologies compared to Paper/Pencil. SM was more helpful in non-treatment-seekers (35.0% of analyses showed SM to be helpful compared to 25.0% of analyses with treatment-seekers). Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that SM, under certain circumstances, as the potential to be a low-cost, low-risk research and early intervention strategy for substance users.

A Preliminary Study of Associations between Discomfort Intolerance, Pain Severity/Interference, and Frequency of Cannabis Use among Individuals with Chronic Pain.

Cannabis use is more common among individuals with chronic pain, and is often used to relieve physical discomfort. However, little is known about factors that are associated with cannabis use among individuals with chronic pain, and there is reason to suspect that perceptions of discomfort intolerance (DI) play an important role in pain-cannabis relations. The goal of this study was to conduct an initial examination of perceived DI, pain severity, and pain-related interference in relation to frequency of cannabis use among individuals with chronic pain. Specifically, we hypothesized that pain severity/interference and factors of DI (avoidance and intolerance), would each be positively associated with cannabis use frequency. Participants (N = 109; 44% male; M age = 27) endorsed chronic pain and at least one instance of lifetime cannabis use. Most participants characterized their chronic pain as high intensity and low disability, and the two most commonly reported frequencies of cannabis use were "less than monthly" (n = 38), and "daily/almost daily" (n = 32). Results indicated that discomfort avoidance (but not discomfort intolerance), pain severity, and pain-related interference were each independently and positively associated with frequency of cannabis use. These preliminary findings suggest that continued examination of perceived discomfort avoidance in relation to co-occurring pain and cannabis use is warranted. Future research should replicate these results among treatment-seeking pain patients who are prescribed medical cannabis.

Suicide risk among Veteran primary care patients with current anxiety symptoms.

Background: Although anxiety is prevalent in primary care, the association between anxiety symptoms and suicide risk remains understudied. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to (i) assess the prevalence of suicide risk among Veteran primary care patients with anxiety symptoms and (ii) compare suicide risk between patients with a positive (versus negative) depression screen. Methods: Participants were 182 adult primary care patients (84.6% male, Mage = 58.3 years) with current anxiety symptoms, but no psychotherapy in specialty care in the past year, at a Veterans Health Administration medical center in New York. Participants completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression and suicide risk via telephone. Results: Forty percent endorsed ≥1 suicide risk item. Suicide risk was more common among those screening positive (versus negative) for depression (50.5% versus 26.5%, χ2 (1) = 10.88; P = 0.001). Participants with a negative depression screen constituted 31% of all those with any suicide risk. Logistic regression revealed that anxiety symptom severity was not associated with suicide risk (P = 0.14) after controlling for age, sex and depression screen status (P = 0.01). Conclusions: A substantial proportion of primary care patients with anxiety was classified as at risk for suicide, even in the absence of a positive depression screen. Primary care providers should assess suicide risk among patients with anxiety symptoms, even if the patients are not seeking specialty mental health treatment, the anxiety symptoms are not severe or do not rise to the level of an anxiety disorder, and comorbid depressive symptoms are not present.

Chronic Pain Status, Nicotine Withdrawal, and Expectancies for Smoking Cessation Among Lighter Smokers.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain and tobacco smoking are both highly prevalent and comorbid conditions, and chronic pain may pose a barrier to smoking cessation. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to test associations between chronic pain status and several smoking-related factors that have previously been shown to predict cessation outcomes. METHOD: Daily smokers (N = 205) were recruited from the general population to complete an online survey of pain and tobacco smoking. RESULTS: Results indicated that smokers with chronic pain (vs. no chronic pain) consumed more cigarettes per day, scored higher on an established measure of tobacco dependence, reported having less confidence in their ability to quit, and endorsed expectations for experiencing greater difficulty and more severe nicotine withdrawal during future cessation attempts. Mediation analyses further indicated that the inverse association between chronic pain and abstinence self-efficacy was indirectly influenced by past cessation failures. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that individuals with chronic pain may constitute an important subgroup of tobacco smokers who tend to experience lower confidence and greater difficulty when attempting to quit. Future research would benefit from replicating these findings among older and more diverse samples of heavier tobacco smokers, and extending this work to the study of prospective relations between chronic pain status and cessation-relevant processes/outcomes over the course of a quit attempt.

Patient-reported use of medical cannabis for pain, anxiety, and depression symptoms: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

RATIONALE: Certifications for medical cannabis are generally restricted to a small number of specific medical conditions, yet patients frequently report symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression as reasons for use. This is a critical concern for researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers, yet research in this area is currently obstructed by the lack of a focused review or empirical synthesis on patient-reported reasons for medical cannabis use. OBJECTIVES: AND METHOD: The first aim of this project was to conduct the first systematic review and meta-analysis of empirical studies of patient-reported symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression as reasons for medical cannabis use. The second aim was to conduct an empirical assessment of the methodological quality of extant research, test for publication bias, and test sex composition and quality scores of individual studies as possible sources of observed heterogeneity. RESULTS: Meta-analytic results indicated that pain (64%), anxiety (50%), and depression/mood (34%) were common reasons for medical cannabis use. No evidence for publication bias was detected, despite heterogeneity in prevalence rates. A comprehensive assessment of study quality identified a number of specific methodological limitations of the existing research, including challenges in patient recruitment, use of restrictive sampling frames, and a lack of randomized recruitment methods and validated assessment measures. CONCLUSION: Findings are discussed with regard to possible explanations for current results, clinical considerations, and areas of future research that are needed to move the field forward.

Menthol cigarette use and pain reporting among African American adults seeking treatment for smoking cessation.

Nicotine has acute pain-relieving properties, and tobacco smokers often report using cigarettes to cope with pain. The proportion of smokers using menthol cigarettes has increased in recent years, and there is reason to suspect that menthol may enhance the analgesic effects of nicotine. Up to 90% of African American smokers report using menthol cigarettes, and African Americans tend to report more severe pain and greater difficulty quitting. Yet no known research has examined the relationship between menthol cigarette use and pain reporting. Thus, the goal of the current study was to test associations between menthol (vs. nonmenthol) cigarette use and pain among a sample of African American smokers. Current daily cigarette smokers (N = 115; 70% male; Mage = 47.05; MCPD = 15.2) were recruited to participate in a smoking cessation study. These data were collected at the baseline session. Daily menthol (vs. nonmenthol) cigarette use was associated with lower current pain intensity, lower average and worst pain over the past 3 months, and less pain-related physical impairment over the past 3 months. This study demonstrates that menthol (vs. nonmenthol) cigarette use is associated with less pain and pain-related functional interference among African American smokers seeking tobacco cessation treatment. Future research is needed to examine the potential acute analgesic effects of menthol versus nonmenthol cigarette use, examine temporal covariation between menthol cigarette use and pain reporting, and test whether pain-relevant processes contribute to the maintenance of menthol cigarette smoking among those with and without chronic pain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations between pain intensity and urge to smoke: Testing the role of negative affect and pain catastrophizing.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smokers are more likely to experience pain than nonsmokers, and experimental research indicates that pain is a potent motivator of smoking. Urge to smoke is a predictor of early relapse, yet associations between pain and urge to smoke have yet to be tested among daily smokers. This study aimed to conduct the first crosssectional test of associations between current pain intensity and urge to smoke, and to test the role of negative affect and pain catastrophizing in relations between pain intensity and urge to smoke. METHODS: Participants (N = 229, 42.4% Female, 38.9% black/African American, Mcpd = 21.9) were recruited for a laboratory study of pain and smoking, and these data were collected at the baseline session. Data were analyzed using a series of regressions and conditional process models. RESULTS: Current pain intensity was positively associated with urge to smoke, and urge to smoke for the relief of negative affect. There was an indirect association via state negative affect, such that pain intensity was positively associated with negative affect, which in turn was associated with greater urge to smoke. Further, positive associations between pain intensity and urge to smoke were only evident among smokers who endorsed low (vs high) levels of catastrophizing. CONCLUSIONS: These findings contribute to an emerging literature indicating that pain and related constructs are relevant to the maintenance of tobacco smoking. Future research should examine how painrelevant cognitive-affective factors may influence associations between the experience of pain and motivation to smoke tobacco.

Effects of nicotine deprivation on current pain intensity among daily cigarette smokers.

Animal research has consistently demonstrated increased pain in the context of nicotine deprivation, and there is cross-sectional evidence that tobacco smokers may experience greater pain following periods of smoking abstinence. This study aimed to examine current pain intensity as a function of nicotine deprivation among 137 daily tobacco smokers who did not endorse chronic pain and were recruited to participate in a primary study of the effects of smoking abstinence on experimental pain reactivity. Participants were randomized to either deprivation (12-24 hr abstinence) or continued ad lib smoking conditions. Compliance with the manipulation was biochemically verified via expired carbon monoxide (CO). Current pain intensity was assessed at baseline (Session 1) and following the deprivation manipulation (Session 2) using a single item that asked participants to indicate their current level of pain on a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (pain as bad as you can imagine). At baseline, the majority of participants (51.1%) reported no pain (M = 1.75). As hypothesized, participants randomized to nicotine deprivation (vs. continued smoking) reported greater current pain intensity following the manipulation. Among smokers who reported no pain at baseline, those who abstained from smoking were nearly 3.5 times more likely to endorse pain at Session 2. These results suggest that daily tobacco smokers may experience greater pain during the first 12-24 hr of smoking abstinence. Future research should examine the role of pain in nicotine withdrawal, and whether tailored interventions may be needed to account for nicotine deprivation-induced amplification of pain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Nicotine deprivation increases pain intensity, neurogenic inflammation, and mechanical hyperalgesia among daily tobacco smokers.

An evolving reciprocal model posits that pain and tobacco smoking behavior interact in the manner of a positive feedback loop, resulting in greater pain and the maintenance of nicotine dependence. There is also reason to believe that abstaining from smoking may increase pain during the early stages of smoking cessation. The goal of this study was to test the effects of nicotine deprivation on experimental pain reactivity. Daily tobacco cigarette smokers (N = 165; 43% female) were randomized to either extended nicotine deprivation (12-24 hr smoking abstinence), minimal deprivation (2 hr smoking abstinence), or continued smoking conditions, prior to undergoing pain induction via topical capsaicin. As hypothesized, results indicated that extended deprivation (relative to continued smoking) increased capsaicin-induced pain intensity ratings, neurogenic inflammation, and mechanical hyperalgesia, thus implicating both central and peripheral mechanisms of action in the effects of smoking abstinence on pain reactivity. Pain intensity ratings were also positively correlated with nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and exploratory analyses suggest that pain sensitivity may increase with duration of smoking abstinence. Collectively, these findings indicate that smokers may experience a variety of negative pain-related sequelae during the early stages of a quit attempt. Future research should examine pain as a consequence or correlate of the nicotine withdrawal syndrome, and determine whether smokers may benefit from tailored cessation interventions that account for nicotine deprivation-induced amplification of pain. (PsycINFO Database Record

Acute analgesic effects of nicotine and tobacco in humans: a meta-analysis.

Although animal models have consistently demonstrated acute pain inhibitory effects of nicotine and tobacco, human experimental studies have yielded mixed results. The main goal of this meta-analysis was to quantify the effects of nicotine/tobacco administration on human experimental pain threshold and tolerance ratings. A search of PubMed and PsycINFO online databases identified 13 eligible articles, including k = 21 tests of pain tolerance (N = 393) and k = 15 tests of pain threshold (N = 339). Meta-analytic integration for both threshold and tolerance outcomes revealed that nicotine administered through tobacco smoke and other delivery systems (eg, patch, nasal spray) produced acute analgesic effects that may be characterized as small to medium in magnitude (Hedges g = 0.35, 95% confidence interval = 0.21-0.50). Publication bias-corrected estimates remained significant and indicated that these effects may be closer to small. Sex composition was observed to be a significant moderator, such that pain threshold effects were more robust among samples that included more men than women. These results help to clarify a mixed literature and may ultimately help to inform the treatment of both pain and nicotine dependence. Pain and tobacco smoking are both highly prevalent and comorbid conditions. Current smoking has been associated with more severe chronic pain and physical impairment. Acute nicotine-induced analgesia could make smoking more rewarding and harder to give up. Future research should use dynamic measures of experimental pain reactivity and further explore biopsychosocial mechanisms of action.

Relations between pain-related anxiety, tobacco dependence, and barriers to quitting among a community-based sample of daily smokers.

There is increasing recognition that complex and potentially bidirectional relations between pain and smoking may be relevant to the maintenance of tobacco addiction. Pain-related anxiety has been identified as a mechanism in the onset and progression of painful disorders, and initial evidence indicates that pain-related anxiety may be associated with essential features of tobacco dependence among smokers with chronic pain. However, there has not been an empirical study of pain-related anxiety in relation to tobacco dependence and self-reported barriers to quitting among a community-based sample of daily smokers. The current sample was comprised of 122 daily smokers who were recruited from the local community to participate in a larger study that included an initial assessment of pain, smoking history, and pain-related anxiety. Approximately 17% of our sample endorsed moderate or severe past-month pain, nearly half met criteria for current anxiety or mood disorder, and about 30% met criteria for a current substance use disorder, exclusive of tobacco dependence. Results indicated that pain-related anxiety was uniquely and positively associated with both tobacco dependence severity scores and self-reported barriers to quitting. These findings lend support to the notion that pain-related anxiety may contribute to the maintenance of tobacco addiction among smokers who experience varying levels of pain severity.

Medication Adherence and HIV Symptom Distress in Relation to Panic Disorder Among HIV-Positive Adults Managing Opioid Dependence.

Panic disorder (PD) occurs at greater rates among those with HIV compared to those without HIV. Rates of PD may be elevated among those with opioid dependence (persons who inject drugs, PWID). Persons with HIV experience common bodily symptoms as a result of the disease and these symptoms overlap with those of PD which may contribute to a "fear of fear" cycle present in PD. HIV-positive, PWID represent an at-risk population in terms of poor medication adherence. HIV symptoms and HIV medication side-effects commonly overlap with panic symptoms and may affect HIV medication adherence. The aim of this investigation was to examine the impact of PD on HIV-related symptom distress and HIV medication adherence in HIV-positive adults (N = 131) in treatment for opioid use. Those with a diagnosis of PD evidenced greater levels of HIV symptom distress and lower levels of medication adherence than those without current PD. Results highlight the clinical importance of assessing for and treating PD among individuals with HIV that are prescribed antiretroviral therapy. Future work would benefit from examining observed associations longitudinally and identifying potential mechanisms involved.

Dyspnea and panic among patients with newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer.

CONTEXT: Among patients with lung cancer, dyspnea is associated with psychological distress, fatigue, and poor coping. Respiratory symptoms are also a common trigger for panic attacks in the general population. Minimal research has addressed the prevalence of panic disorder or the association of dyspnea with the risk of panic disorder in lung cancer. OBJECTIVES: We explored the frequency of panic disorder symptoms and the association of dyspnea with the risk of panic disorder symptoms among patients with newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: During 2006-2010, consecutive patients presenting for initial consultation at a thoracic oncology clinic completed a survey of current symptoms, including dyspnea and panic disorder symptoms. We evaluated the frequency of panic disorder symptoms. Logistic regression was used to test the association of dyspnea with the risk of panic disorder symptoms, adjusting for age, gender, disease stage, performance status, and major depression symptoms. RESULTS: Among 624 patients (mean age=63.7; standard deviation=12.1; 52.6% female), 48.1% reported that breathing was at least somewhat difficult and 11.2% endorsed panic disorder symptoms. Dyspnea was independently associated with higher risk of panic disorder symptoms (odds ratio=2.19, 95% confidence interval=1.11-4.31, P=0.02). Younger age and major depression symptoms also were associated with higher risk (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Almost half of the patients with newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer reported dyspnea, and patients with dyspnea were more than twice as likely to endorse panic disorder symptoms relative to patients without dyspnea. Results highlight the need to differentiate panic disorder symptoms among patients who report dyspnea, particularly those who are younger or experiencing major depression symptoms.

A pilot study of pain-related anxiety and smoking-dependence motives among persons with chronic pain.

Complex interactions between pain and tobacco smoking have been of increasing interest to researchers and clinicians from a variety of disciplines. There is also recent evidence to suggest that pain-related anxiety may play an important role in the maintenance of tobacco dependence among persons with comorbid pain disorders. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the explanatory relevance of pain-related anxiety in relation to tobacco dependence among a sample of daily smokers with current chronic pain. Participants were recruited from the general population to complete an online survey that was developed to examine interrelations between chronic pain and tobacco smoking. Fifty-six of 129 (43%) daily smoking respondents met criteria for current chronic pain. Results indicated that pain-related anxiety accounted for a significant portion of the unique variance in total smoking dependence scores, and both primary and secondary dependence composite scores (as measured by the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives; Piper et al., 2004). It is noteworthy that these effects were observed above and beyond the variance accounted for by relevant sociodemographic factors, generalized anxiety, and pain severity. Pain-related anxiety was observed to be strongly associated with secondary dependence motives, which is consistent with a conceptualization of pain-related anxiety as an instrumental or situational motivator of smoking. These results suggest that tobacco smokers with comorbid pain disorders may be at risk for maintaining or exacerbating their dependence on tobacco, possibly due to individual differences in pain-related anxiety. These findings may help inform the development of tailored interventions for smokers with comorbid chronic pain.