Pain is a leading cause of disability and the most common reason for clinical care. The field of pain research has focused on sex differences in the recent years with an expansive body of literature demonstrating sex-related differences in pain behavior and responsiveness to pharmacological interventions. Prescription opioids are potent analgesics and the mainstay for the clinical management of moderate-to-severe acute and chronic pain conditions. However, the long-term clinical use of prescription opioids for chronic pain remains controversial due to concerns about severe adverse effects, including tolerance, dependence, and addiction associated with opioid use. The non-medical use and abuse of prescription opioids has become a public health crisis, the problem even arising in a subset of chronic pain patients receiving opioid therapy. The vulnerability factors, specifically the role of pain in the propensity to prescription opioid abuse, are poorly understood. The present research project sought to investigate the propensity to opioid reward as a function of pain in male and female mice by incorporating acute (acetic acid-induced) visceral nociceptive and chronic chemotherapy (paclitaxel)-induced peripheral neuropathic pain models. Sexually dimorphic variations in the sensitivities of mice to nociceptive and allodynic behaviors were initially assessed using the two putative pain models. Following that, the two prescription opioids, morphine and oxycodone were examined under both pain contexts and the capacity of the two prescription opioids to produce reward-related behavioral effects were measured using drug discrimination, conditioned place preference, and intravenous drug self-administration procedures. The presence of acute noxious state but not chronic pain selectively attenuated the discriminative stimulus effects of the prescription opioid, morphine in male mice. The magnitude of modulation of the stimulus effects of opioids by the acute noxious state were further observed to be inversely related to the relative intrinsic antinociceptive effectiveness of the two opioids in reversing the acute noxious state and sex-specific sensitivities of mice to opioid-induced antinociception. In contrast, while no change was observed in opioid-reward as a function of the acute noxious state in both sexes, the presence of paclitaxel-induced chronic pain opioid-selectively and dose-selectively enhanced the conditioned rewarding effect of morphine (0.3 mg/kg dose), and the effect was more pronounced in male relative to female mice. These data were further supported by the self-administration results, in that the reinforcing efficacy (breakpoints under progressive ratio (PR) responding) and the incentive-motivational salience of morphine significantly increased in the presence of chronic pain in male mice, while non-selectively increasing regardless of the presence/absence of pain in female mice. Overall, the converging empirical evidence presented here suggest that these models provide preclinical tools to further understand the overlapping neurobiology of pain and opioid abuse, the behavioral effects of prescription opioids, and advance the development of novel sex-specific pain therapeutics with low addiction liability. / Pharmaceutical Sciences

This study was conducted to analyze various objective measures of treatment outcome among patients that participated in a multidisciplinary chronic pain treatment program and to compare these measures to the absence or presence of antidepressant medication, the level of depression, and the quality of pain and depression reported. In addition, this study examined whether there are certain patient characteristics that are related to treatment outcome measures. Data was collected from the medical records of 232 patients who were admitted to and treated for various chronic pain syndromes at the Lewis-Gale Hospital Pain Center in Salem, Virginia. Results of the study indicate that when chronic pain patients are subdivided into groups based on antidepressant drug use, depression level, reported quality of pain, and depressive symptomatology, there are distinct and significant differences before treatment when between-group comparisons are made. Within-group comparisons revealed significant differences between pre and post test measures for most groups studied, however, those with the most significant changes in scores included those patients on antidepressant medication, those patients with greater cognitive symptoms of depression, and those patients who were non-depressed. Patient characteristics that were significantly related to outcome included age, gender, duration of pain, employment, workers compensation, and litigation status. / Ph. D.

No

Yes / Background: The place of opioids in the management of chronic, non-cancer pain is limited. Even so their use is escalating, leading to concerns that patients are prescribed strong opioids inappropriately and alternatives to medication are under-used. We aimed to understand the processes which bring about and perpetuate long-term prescribing of opioids for chronic, non-cancer pain. Methods: We held semi-structured interviews with patients and focus groups with general practitioners (GPs). Participants included 23 patients currently prescribed long-term opioids and 15 GPs from Leeds and Bradford, United Kingdom (UK). We used a grounded approach to the analysis of transcripts. Results: Patients are driven by the needs for pain relief, explanation, and improvement or maintenance of quality of life. GPs’ responses are shaped by how UK general practice is organised, available therapeutic choices and their expertise in managing chronic pain, especially when facing diagnostic uncertainty or when their own approach is at odds with the patient’s wishes. Four features of the resulting transaction between patients and doctors influence prescribing: lack of clarity of strategy, including the risk of any plans being subverted by urgent demands; lack of certainty about locus of control in decision-making, especially in relation to prescribing; continuity in the doctor-patient relationship; and mutuality and trust. Conclusions: Problematic prescribing occurs when patients experience repeated consultations that do not meet their needs and GPs feel unable to negotiate alternative approaches to treatment. Therapeutic short-termism is perpetuated by inconsistent clinical encounters and the absence of mutually-agreed formulations of underlying problems and plans of action. Apart from commissioning improved access to appropriate specialist services, general practices should also consider how they manage problematic opioid prescribing and be prepared to set boundaries with patients. / National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit Programme (Grant Reference Number PB-PG- 1010–23041).

Yes / Objectives: To explore experienced physiotherapists’ attitudes, beliefs and experiences regarding their personal role in contributing to effective therapeutic relationships when working with people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Design: Descriptive qualitative design using semi-structured interviews. Setting: Within physiotherapy departments in two National Health Service acute secondary care trusts in the North West of England. Participants: Six experienced physiotherapists working with people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Data Analysis: Thematic coding analysis of transcribed interview recordings Main outcomes: Four overarching themes emerged from the data: Listening to the person; a caring understanding of the person’s situation; engaging the person and coming together; and moving forwards. Results: Participants emphasized the importance of building effective therapeutic relationships when working with people with chronic pain, seeking to create these by engaging with the person, to promote a strong collaborative partnership. Participants highlighted the themes of listening to the person’s story and showing a caring understanding of their situation through empathy and belief with validation. The final theme of moving forward emphasized how positive therapeutic relationships aid the rehabilitation process in enabling people to make positive changes in their lives. Conclusions: A clearer understanding of how physiotherapists engender positive therapeutic relationships has the potential to improve training and service development priorities for physiotherapists working in the area of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Future studies should seek to further define the core dimensions impacting therapeutic relationships, from the perspectives of both physiotherapists and people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. / Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber

The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the potential relationships that exist between anger expression, as measured by several MMPI-2 scales, and chronic pain.

Objective: Chronic pain is a common condition worldwide that poses significant impact to society in terms of its health and economic costs. It has been found to be related to a number of emotional and cognitive factors that are amenable to psychological treatments. Traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic pain has become the gold standard of psychological treatment with reported efficacy. However, recent meta-analyses have found its effect size to be only modest at most. Moreover, its specific mechanisms of action are not well elucidated. With recent advances in neuroscience on possible neurocognitive processes underlying chronic pain, alternative treatment models targeting these specific neurocognitive processes are worth exploring. The present study tested the effectiveness of the Four-step Mindfulness-based Therapy (FSMT) for chronic pain in a randomized-controlled trial. The FSMT was chosen because of its explicit emphasis on altering neurocognitive processes that appear to be highly relevant in treating chronic pain. Method: Ninety-nine chronic pain patients in a hospital cluster-based outpatient pain clinic were randomly allocated to either the FSMT treatment or wait-list control group. The FSMT was modified for use with chronic pain and incorporated mindfulness exercises, such as mindful breathing and mindful meditation. Treatment consisted of eight weekly two-hour group sessions conducted by a clinical psychologist experienced in the implementation of the FSMT protocol. Assessment took place at baseline and post-treatment for both the FSMT and wait-list control. For the FSMT, assessment also took place at mid-group and 3-month follow-up. Results: Findings showed that the FSMT produced superior outcomes in terms of activity interference (primary endpoint), pain unpleasantness, and depression when compared to the wait-list control group or over time. Improvements were also found in the process measures of pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance. All treatment effects were maintained at follow-up. Further, the effects have been shown to be clinically significant and reliable above and beyond measurement errors. Mediational analyses revealed that pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance mediated the effects of FSMT on the outcomes of activity interference and depression; pain catastrophizing also mediated the effect of FSMT on the outcome of pain unpleasantness. Conclusions: The present study was the first to establish statistical and clinical evidence of the FSMT for chronic pain. It also revealed possible processes and mechanisms that might have brought about the changes in outcome, namely reduction in pain catastrophizing and improvement in pain acceptance. How the FSMT led to the outcome changes via these two processes was discussed and enriched by neurocognitive perspectives. Future studies should seek to further compare the FSMT with other active psychological treatments for chronic pain and collect neuroimaging data to further illustrate the neurocognitive processes involved. / Wong, Chi Ming. / "October 2009." / Adviser: Freedom Leung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-01, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-175). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

The present study evaluated the utility of heart rhythm coherence (HRC) feedback to reduce the reported pain intensity of patients enrolled in a multimodal pain management program. Participants were recruited and assigned to a usual treatment group (UT) or a heart rhythm coherence feedback group (UT+HRC). It was hypothesized that UT+HRC participants who achieved heart rhythm coherence would report a reduction of pain intensity, as measured by the McGill Pain Inventory. For those whose pain intensity decreased, it was also expected that their self reported levels of depression as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition and state anger as measured by the State Trait Anger Inventory would decrease. It is also hypothesized that with a reduction in pain levels, anger, and depression, blood pressure would also decrease among those who had high blood pressure prior to the intervention. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were used to investigate the relationship between treatment condition, coherence status and pain levels. A series of independent t-tests were utilized to investigate the change in pain, depression, and state anger from baseline to posttest, followed by Pearson product moment correlation coefficients on difference scores to understand the relationship between the outcome variables for Hypothesis 2. Standard multiple regression analyses were computed using difference scores to determine if the outcome measures were significant predictors of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Results indicated a failure to reject the null with regard to hypothesis one. No relationship between treatment assignment, coherence status or pain levels were found. Hypothesis 2 was partially supported. Although there was a positive significant relationship between depression and anger when utilizing difference scores, these affective measures were not related to difference scores on either pain measure. In regard to Hypothesis 3, there was also a failure to reject the null. None of the outcome measures utilized in this study emerged as being significantly related to changes in systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are offered.

I performed a secondary analysis of existing data and determined that when interacting with physicians during primary care visits for chronic illness treatment, patients using opioids are less likely to continue presenting concerns designed to reinforce their social and emotional uniqueness during the second half of primary care visits when physicians provide empathic support of their concerns in the first half of visits.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Chronic pain, defined as pain lasting more than 3 months, is a common and costly health condition. Thirty-three percent of adults and upwards of 35% of children report experiencing pain due to various diseases, disorders, or accidents. Recent research has identified perceived injustice and anger as important constructs in an adult’s pain experience and a possible focus for intervention efforts. The present study explored the extent to which perceived injustice and anger expression operate similarly in children with chronic pain as in adults. This was a retrospective analysis of data from 122 patients seeking treatment at a pediatric pain clinic. Results supported anger expression as a mediator in the relationship between perceived injustice and pain intensity but not psychological distress, suggesting that anger expression operates similarly in children as in adults with chronic pain. Unlike previous findings in adults with chronic pain, injustice did not moderate the relationship between pain intensity and psychological distress, suggesting that injustice operates differently in children with chronic pain compared to adults. The strong association between injustice and pain outcomes (i.e. pain intensity, quality of life, functional disability) suggests that injustice is an important construct to explore in the chronic pain experience of children.