Perceived Stress, Perceived Social Support, and Global Health in Adults with Chronic Pain.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a common problem in adults that can have a significant impact on individuals' quality of life and on society. The complex pain experience emerges from a dynamic combination of biological, psychological, and social factors. Previous research has shown that social support has positive effects on health-related outcomes through two mechanisms: direct-effects and stress-buffering effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the role that perceived stress, perceived social support, and their interaction play as predictors of global physical health and global mental health in adults with chronic pain. METHOD: One hundred sixty-five adults with chronic pain completed measures of pain, perceived stress, perceived social support, global physical health, and global mental health. RESULTS: Perceived stress but not perceived social support made a significant and independent contribution to the prediction of global physical health; both perceived stress and perceived social support made independent contributions to the prediction of global mental health. The perceived stress × perceived social support interaction did not make a significant contribution to the prediction of either criterion variable. The results suggested that perceived stress has an impact on both global physical and mental health, whereas perceived social support associated mostly with global mental health. In addition, perceived social support does not appear to moderate the impact of stress on global physical and mental health. CONCLUSION: The findings are more consistent with a direct-effects model than a stress-buffering model of social support.

Physicians' perception about predictors of opioid abuse in patients with chronic non-cancer pain: a Delphi study.

Background: Opioids are being prescribed widely, and increasingly, for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). However, several side effects are associated with mid- and long-term opioid use and, for certain patients, with the risk of problematic opioid use. The aim of this study is to know the perception of the physicians about which variables could be associated with increased risk of patients with CNCP developing a problem of abuse or misuse of the prescribed opioid medication. Methods: Twenty-nine physicians with experience in CNCP pain management and opioids prescription participated in a two-round Delphi study focused on the risk factors for opioid misuse and abuse. Results: The variables that reached consensus regarding their relationship with the increased risk of suffering a problem of opioid abuse or misuse were: (1) Experiencing pain on a daily basis, (2) previous use of high-dose opioids, (3) generalized anxiety, (4) hopelessness, (5) benzodiazepine intake, (6) use of opioids for reasons other than pain, (7) family problems, family instability or family breakdown, and (8) having access to several opioid prescribers. The only variable that reached consensus regarding it not being associated to a possible risk of abuse or misuse was having mild pain intensity (0-4 on a NRS-11). Conclusions: This study provides useful information that could help make decisions about the use of opioids for CNCP treatment and prevent future difficulties. Prospective studies testing the relationship of the variables that reached consensus with the risk of opioid misuse and abuse are warranted. Significance: This study shows the variables of CNCP that the professional must take into account in order to avoid possible problems when prescribing opioids.

Effectiveness of social support-based interventions in preventing depression in people without clinical depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The evidence available on the association between social support and prevention of depression has been basically obtained from observational studies. AIM: We evaluated the effectiveness of social support-based interventions for the prevention of depression in people without clinical depression. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis (SR/MA) of randomized controlled trials (RCT), which were searched for in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, WOS, PsycINFO, OpenGrey and other sources from the inception dates to June 8, 2022. We selected RCTs that assessed the effectiveness of social support-based interventions as compared to controls, included subjects without baseline clinical depression, and measured as results a reduction in depressive symptoms and/or the incidence of new cases of depression. Pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated from random effects models. RESULTS: Nine RCTs involving 927 patients from North America, Asia and Europe were included. The pooled SMD was -0.43 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.82 to -0.04; p = .031]. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of results. Heterogeneity was substantial [I2 = 80% (95% CI: 64% to 89%)]. A meta-regression model that included usual care as comparator and the continent (Europe), explained 53% of heterogeneity. Eight RCTs had a moderate overall risk of bias and one had a high risk of bias. Follow-up was ⩾1 year in only three RCTs. There was no statistical evidence of publication bias. The quality of evidence, as measured on GRADE guidelines, was low. CONCLUSION: Social support-based interventions had a small preventive effect on depression. Longer RCTs with a low risk of bias are necessary.

Cross-National Trends of Chronic Back Pain in Adolescents: Results From the HBSC Study, 2001-2014.

Chronic back pain is a common problem that negatively impacts the wellbeing of many adolescents. Prior research suggests that the prevalence of chronic back pain has increased over the last decades, but research on this issue is scarce, single country-based, and has yielded inconsistent results. This study aimed to examine trends in the prevalence of chronic back pain over time in adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15, using data from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 650,851 adolescents, retrieved from four waves (2001/02, 2005/06, 2009/10 and 2013/14) of HBSC data from 33 countries or regions.  The prevalence of back pain was higher (1) in each successive survey over time (18.3% in 2001/02, 19.3% in 2005/06, 20.4% in 2009/10 and 21.6% in 2013/14), (2) in girls (21.9%) compared to boys (17.8%), and (3) in older adolescents compared to younger ones (14.5% in 11-year-olds, 19.6% in 13-year-olds and 25.5% in 15-year-olds). The increase in prevalence from 2001/02 to 2013/14 was more marked in older girls compared to younger girls, and in older boys compared to younger boys, and it ranged between 1% for 11-year-old boys and 7% for 15-year-old girls. More resources should be allocated to the prevention and treatment of chronic back pain in adolescents, especially for older girls. PERSPECTIVE: The prevalence of chronic back pain in adolescents has increased from 2001-2002 to 2013-2014, especially in older adolescent girls. These findings underline the need of further research to understand the reason behind the increasing trend, and what programs are better suited to prevent chronic back pain among adolescents.

Improving the Quality of Life of Cancer Survivors in School: Consensus Recommendations Using a Delphi Study.

Successful school re-entry is important for children following cancer treatment. However, this process is a challenge for teachers. OBJECTIVES: To identify (1) the difficulties and needs that teachers have in helping youth cancer survivors be successful in school, (2) the most effective resources that teachers are currently using for helping them, and (3) the ideal contents for a program that could help teachers in this area. METHODS: Twenty-eight teachers participated in a Delphi study. RESULTS: A lack of knowledge regarding how to best help and having to deal with the student's problems were identified as difficulties. Specific training, psychological support, and advice from health professionals were the most commonly reported needs. Maintaining contact with the family and the students and providing personalized attention were viewed as the most useful resources. Finally, knowledge about the disease itself and how to facilitate successful school re-entry were identified as important program components. CONCLUSION: The findings provide important new information regarding the lack of both resources and support for teachers who seek to help youth cancer survivors. The findings can be used to inform the development of an intervention to help teachers become more successful in facilitating successful school re-entry.

Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems: Further Evaluation of a BIS-BAS Model of Chronic Pain.

OBJECTIVES: The role of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS) in function has been evaluated in a wide range of populations. However, research on the role of the BIS and BAS in pain is in its early stages. This study sought to evaluate the utility of a BIS-BAS model of chronic pain. METHODS: Participants were 164 individuals with chronic pain who responded to an online survey. Participants provided information about pain location, intensity, and frequency and completed questionnaires assessing behavioral inhibition and activation sensitivity, pain catastrophizing, pain interference, activity engagement, pain willingness, hope, and pain self-efficacy. Seven hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test hypothesized associations between BIS and BAS sensitivity and measures of participant function. RESULTS: BIS scores were significantly and positively associated with pain catastrophizing, anxiety, depression, and pain interference and were negatively associated with activity engagement, hope, and pain self-efficacy (P<0.01). BAS scores showed significant and positive associations with activity engagement and hope and showed significant negative associations with pain catastrophizing and anxiety (P<0.05). Furthermore, BIS sensitivity evidenced stronger associations with all the other study measures than did BAS sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide important new information regarding the utility of the BIS-BAS model of chronic pain. Our results support the idea that BIS activation is more important than BAS activation in explaining a variety of pain-related outcomes, including positive and negative responses to pain, and suggest that modification of the model may be indicated. These results have several theoretical and clinical implications.

Social Factors, Disability, and Depressive Symptoms in Adults With Chronic Pain.

OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this study was to better understand the role that social factors (ie, social support, satisfaction in participation with social roles, social isolation, and self-perceived ability to perform social roles and activities) play in pain-related interference and depressive symptoms in adults with chronic pain. Moreover, this study also examined if sex exerts a moderating role in these associations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 364 adults with chronic pain participated: 133 were university students and 231 were individuals from the community. University students completed a paper-and-pencil survey and individuals from the community responded to a web-based survey. Both surveys included the same questions assessing sociodemographic, pain characteristics, pain-related interference, depressive symptoms, and social factors. RESULTS: Only satisfaction in participation in usual social roles and self-perceived ability for participating in such social roles contributed independently, significantly, and negatively to the prediction of pain interference, whereas all 4 social factors made independent and significant contributions to the prediction of depressive symptoms. Satisfaction with participation in usual social roles, self-perceived social ability, and social support were negatively related to depressive symptoms, whereas social isolation was positively related. The results also indicated that sex moderated the associations between social factors and depressive symptoms, but not between social factors and pain interference. DISCUSSION: The study provides important new findings regarding the associations between social factors and physical and psychological functioning of individuals with chronic pain, supporting biopsychosocial models.

Construct Validity and Internal Consistency of the Catalan Version of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire in Young People With Chronic Pain.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct validity and reliability of the Catalan version of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) in a sample of young people with chronic pain. Two hundred twenty-seven young people with chronic pain (age range = 12-24 years, mean age = 17.87 years, SD = 3.08 years) participated in this study. The findings support a one-factor structure of the PSEQ, and the scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability in our sample. In addition, convergent validity was supported by a loading of average variance extracted (AVE) greater than .50, and discriminant validity was supported by the finding that self-efficacy and pain-related anxiety AVEs were greater than the shared variance between both constructs. Further support for the measure's construct validity was shown by (1) significant and positive associations between PSEQ scores and adaptive coping strategies and (2) negative and significant associations between PSEQ scores and maladaptive coping strategies and catastrophizing thoughts. The results of this study indicate that the Catalan version of the PSEQ is reliable and valid when used to assess pain self-efficacy beliefs in young people with chronic pain.

Pain-Related Activity Management Patterns as Predictors of Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine if pre- to post-treatment changes in pain-related activity patterns (i.e., overdoing, avoidance, and pacing) were associated with pre- to post-treatment changes in function (i.e., pain interference, psychological function, and physical function) in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome who participated in either an operant learning- or an energy conservation-based training in activity management. METHODS: Sixty-nine patients with fibromyalgia syndrome participated in an activity management treatment (32 in an operant learning group and 37 in an energy conservation group). Outcomes were assessed at pre- and post-treatment, and patients provided demographic information and completed measures assessing pain intensity, pain interference, psychological function, physical function, and pain management activity patterns. Three linear hierarchical regression analyses predicting changes in pain outcomes from changes in pacing, overdoing, and avoidant activity patterns were performed. RESULTS: Changes in pain-related activity patterns made significant contributions to the prediction of changes in patients' function. Specifically: (a) increases in overdoing predicted reductions in pain interference; (b) decreases in avoidance predicted improvements in psychological function; and (c) increases in pacing predicted improvements in physical function. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides support for a role of activity management treatments in improved adjustment to chronic pain. Research is needed to replicate and extend these findings in order to build an empirical basis for developing more effective chronic pain treatments for facilitating improved physical and psychological function in individuals with chronic pain.

Are attitudes about pain related to coping strategies used by adolescents in the community?

Background and aims To better understand the associations between pain beliefs and pain coping strategies in a sample of community adolescents. Methods Four hundred and thirty-four adolescents were asked to complete measures of physical function, pain-related beliefs and use of pain coping strategies. A series of three hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Results Approach coping strategies demonstrated significant and positive associations with beliefs about the importance of solicitousness responding and control over pain. Problem-focused avoidance coping strategies evidenced a negative association with the belief of being disabled by pain, and a positive association with the importance of exercise. Emotion-focused avoidance coping strategies showed significant and positive associations with beliefs about being disabled by pain and that emotions affect pain, and negative associations with beliefs about control over pain and the appropriateness of pain medications. Conclusions The findings provide important new information regarding the potential role that beliefs could play as predictors of pain coping in adolescents living in the community. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the possible causal role that beliefs play in decisions to use what pain coping strategy and under what circumstances. Implications The role that pain beliefs and coping strategies play in the adjustment to pain in adolescents in the community has both similarities to and differences with the role that these factors play in adolescent clinical populations. This information can guide the development of community-based treatment programs for adolescents with pain.

Committed Action, Disability and Perceived Health in Individuals with Fibromyalgia.

Committed action, one of the components of psychological flexibility, has been shown to be related with measures of pain-relevant function domains in patients with chronic pain. However, the associations between measures of committed action and of physical health and function in individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) have not yet been examined. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to better understand the role that committed action plays in (1) pain-related disability and (2) mental and physical health in individuals with FM. One hundred twenty-nine adult females with a diagnosis of FM from a rheumatologist were administered measures of committed action, disability, physical health, and mental health. After controlling for age and pain intensity, committed action explained an additional 24% of the variance of pain disability, 39% of the variance of physical health, and 41% of the variance of mental health. This study provides important new information on the associations between a measure of committed action and perceived health and function in a sample of women with FM. The findings are also consistent with the psychological flexibility model for understanding pain and its impact in patients with FM.

Psychometric properties of the Functional Disability Inventory for assessing Pain-related disability in children from the community.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Functional Disability Inventory for assessing pain-related disability in a community sample of children and adolescents. Materials and methods: Five hundred and sixty-one schoolchildren (aged 8-18 years) completed the Functional Disability Inventory. They were also administered measures assessing anxiety sensitivity, internalizing pain coping behaviors, social support seeking, and positive self-statements. A subset of 107 participants completed measures of quality of life. Results: The results confirmed the two-factor structure solution for the Functional Disability Inventory items. The measure's scales scores demonstrated adequate to good internal consistencies. Convergent validity was supported by significant positive correlations between FDI scores and anxiety sensitivity and internalizing pain coping behaviors, and negative correlations with quality of life. Discriminant validity was supported by weak and non-significant correlations between disability scores and the social support seeking and positive self-statements pain coping strategies scores. Differences in the disability scores between participants who did not experience pain in the last 3 months and those that experienced at least some pain provided additional evidence for construct validity. Conclusions: The findings support the Functional Disability Inventory as a reliable and valid measure for assessing pain-related disability in children and adolescents from the community. Implications for rehabilitation Chronic pain is a common health problem in youths and is associated with disability (which implies difficulties in physical, psychological, social or school functioning). The FDI is one of the most used measures to assess disability in youths with chronic pain. However, its psychometric properties have not been studied in a community sample. This study shows new and important findings demonstrating that the FDI provides reliable and valid scores when used to assess pain-related disability in a community sample of schoolchildren. These findings support the use of the FDI as a measure of the benefits of community-based pain treatments or the benefits of disability prevention programs over time.

Factors Associated with Migraine in the General Population of Spain: Results from the European Health Survey 2014.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the modifiable and nonmodifiable variables that are associated with and might moderate the presence of migraine in the general population. DESIGN: Nationally representative cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Noninstitutionalized population of Spain. SUBJECTS: Individuals aged 15 years or older (N = 22,842). METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from the second wave of the European Health Interview Survey conducted in Spain (2014/2015). We estimated the prevalence of migraine and its distribution according to the study variables, and then built a multivariate logistic model encompassing age, sex, depression severity, chronic anxiety, body mass index, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol use, and perceived social support to predict migraine. RESULTS: The one-year prevalence of migraine was 8%. The final multivariate model (Wald χ2 = 693.00, df = 15, P < 0.001) retained depression severity, chronic anxiety, exercising several times a month or week, and alcohol use as predictors of migraine (odds ratios = 2.1-3.5 for positive associations, odds ratios = 0.4-0.9 for negative associations). CONCLUSIONS: Raising awareness among clinicians regarding the fact that many of the variables that potentially contribute to the presence of migraine are modifiable (e.g., psychological problems and lifestyle behaviors) might intensify resources dedicated to assessing and impacting these factors in order to potentially prevent the frequency and severity of migraine.

The reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III. The original three-factor structure of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III was confirmed and indicated a good to excellent level of internal consistency. Criterion validity was supported by positive significant correlations between the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III scores and measures of pain catastrophizing and anxiety sensitivity; discriminant validity was supported by non-significant correlations between the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III scores and measures of pain intensity and depressive symptomatology. The findings support the reliability and validity of the scores obtained by the Spanish version of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III.

Pain catastrophizing, activity engagement and pain willingness as predictors of the benefits of multidisciplinary cognitive behaviorally-based chronic pain treatment.

Pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance have been shown to be associated with improvements after participation in cognitive behaviorally-based treatment (CBT) for chronic pain. However, it is not yet clear how important each of these factors is relative to the other. Furthermore, it is also not clear if multidisciplinary pain treatment has the same impact on the two primary dimensions of pain acceptance (activity engagement and pain willingness), and whether their role in explaining treatment outcome differs as a function of the outcomes under study. The aim of this study was to examine the relative importance of changes in pain catastrophizing, activity engagement and pain willingness as predictors of the benefits of a multidisciplinary CBT for chronic pain. 186 adults with chronic pain participated. Pain catastrophizing and activity engagement, but not pain willingness, were significantly associated with treatment outcome. Moreover, each one evidenced different patterns of associations with outcomes. Specifically, while changes in both were associated with improvements in depressive symptoms, only catastrophizing was associated with improvements in pain intensity and only activity engagement was associated with improvements in pain-related disability.

Fibroline: A mobile app for improving the quality of life of young people with fibromyalgia.

Fibroline is a mobile application with a self-administered cognitive behavioral treatment for young people with fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain, designed to reduce pain and other common negative symptoms and improve quality of life. Our aims are to report on the usability and feasibility protocols used to assess the app. Two usability cycles were implemented. A group of patients followed the cognitive behavioral treatment intervention to test its feasibility. Qualitative data were collected and content analyses were conducted. The results demonstrated that the app is error-free, easy to use, liked by the users, and acceptable.

Chronic Pain in the School Setting: The Teachers' Point of View.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to (1) examine the reactions of teachers and student teachers to children experiencing pain, (2) identify the most common challenges and potential resources that are associated to dealing with them, and (3) examine whether their responses differed as a function of their experience or sex. METHODS: Forty teachers and 318 student teachers completed a survey which included descriptive information, a questionnaire that assesses different responses of participants to children who experience pain, and provides a list of problems and resources that participants might encounter and implement, respectively, when dealing with these children. RESULTS: The study participants most often endorsed use of coping and health-promoting responses. Experienced teachers endorsed solicitous responses significantly more often than student teachers. Women reported responding more with solicitous responses than men. Absenteeism and the negative effect of pain on the ability of students to engage in school activities were the most common pain-related challenges mentioned by the study participants overall. CONCLUSIONS: The findings emphasize (1) the need for developing guidelines to help teachers to help students experiencing chronic pain, and (2) the importance of including information about pediatric chronic pain in teachers training.

Pain-related Activity Management Patterns and Function in Patients With Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the importance of avoidance, pacing, and overdoing pain-related activity management patterns as predictors of adjustment in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. METHODS: A total of 119 tertiary care patients with fibromyalgia syndrome who agreed to be part of an activity management pain program completed a survey, which requested information about demographics, pain intensity and pain interference, psychological and physical function, and pain-related activity management patterns. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to identify the unique contributions of the 3 different pain-related activity management patterns (avoidance, pacing, and overdoing) to the prediction of pain interference, psychological function, and physical function. RESULTS: The avoidance pattern was a significant and unique predictor of worse psychological and physical function as well as greater pain interference. Pacing was significantly associated with less pain interference and better psychological function, whereas overdoing was not found to predict patient functioning. DISCUSSION: The findings confirm the importance of pain-related activity management patterns as predictors of patient function, and support the necessity of addressing these factors in chronic pain treatment. In addition, the results suggest that targeting increases in activity pacing and decreases in pain avoidance, specifically, might yield the best patient outcomes. However, further research to evaluate this possibility is necessary.

Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation in Patients with Chronic Non-Cancer Pain.

Objectives: This study's aim was to identify the most important general and pain-related risk factors of suicidal ideation in a large sample of patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Methods: A total of 728 patients with chronic non-cancer pain were recruited from the waitlists of eight multidisciplinary pain clinics across Canada. Patients were assessed using self-administered questionnaires to measure demographic, pain-related (intensity, duration, interference, sleep problems), psychological (anxiety, anger, depressive symptoms including suicidal ideation), cognitive (catastrophizing, attitudes/beliefs), and health-related quality of life variables. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors that were associated with presence/absence of suicidal ideation while controlling for depressive symptoms. Results: The results showed that being a male, longer pain duration, higher anger levels, feelings of helplessness, greater pain magnification, and being more depressed were significant independent predictor factors of suicidal ideation, while better perceived mental health was related with a lesser likelihood of suicidal ideation. Moreover, being in a relationship and believing in a medical cure for pain might be protective of suicidal ideation while being anxious may be more associated with suicidal ideation. Conclusions: These results indicate that development of suicidal ideation is more closely related to pain chronicity and certain psychosocial factors than how severe or physically incapacitating the pain is. Many of these factors could potentially be modified by early identification of suicidal ideation and developing targeted cognitive interventions for suicidal at-risk patients. Research to examine the efficacy of these interventions for reducing suicidal ideation is warranted.

What Determines Whether a Pain is Rated as Mild, Moderate, or Severe? The Importance of Pain Beliefs and Pain Interference.

Reliable and valid measures of pain intensity are needed to accurately evaluate the efficacy of pain treatments. Perhaps with the exception of faces pain intensity scales, which are thought to reflect both pain intensity and pain affect, the other most commonly used pain intensity scales-Numerical Rating Scales (NRSs), Visual Analog Scales, and Verbal Rating Scales (VRSs)-are all thought to reflect primarily pain intensity or the magnitude of felt pain. However, to our knowledge, this assumption has not been directly tested for VRSs. METHODS: We evaluated whether VRS pain severity ratings are influenced by pain beliefs, catastrophizing, or pain interference over and above any effects of pain intensity, as measured by a NRS, in 4 samples of individuals with physical disabilities and chronic pain. RESULTS: As hypothesized, and while controlling for pain intensity as measured by a NRS, higher scores on factors representing pain interference with function, pain catastrophizing, and a number of pain-related beliefs were all associated with a tendency for the study participants to rate their pain as more severe on a VRS. DISCUSSION: These findings indicate VRSs of pain severity cannot necessarily be assumed to measure only pain intensity; they may also reflect patient perceptions about pain interference and beliefs about their pain. Clinicians and researchers should take these findings into account when selecting measures and when interpreting the results of studies using VRSs as outcome measures.