Chronic pain and tobacco dependence are two highly prevalent and comorbid conditions. The rate of smoking among persons in pain may be greater than twice the rate observed in the general population. Smokers tend to experience more adverse pain-treatment outcomes than do nonsmokers, and there is mounting evidence to suggest that smokers with comorbid pain disorders may have more difficulty abstaining from tobacco. The main goal of the current study was to examine cross-sectional relations between chronic pain status and past use of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation. We also tested associations between chronic pain status and frequency of past quit attempts. Data were derived from a nationally-representative survey of households in the continental United States. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, substance use, mood and anxiety disorders, and number of attempts to quit smoking, smokers with chronic pain were found to be 1.67 times more likely to endorse past use of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation, relative to smokers with no chronic pain. Chronic pain status was not associated with number of past attempts to quit smoking. These data suggest that smokers with chronic pain are motivated to quit smoking, and may be particularly amenable to pharmacologic intervention. Results are discussed with regard to clinical implications and directions for future research.

DeGood and Kiernan (1996) demonstrated that chronic pain patients who assigned blame to others for their pain reported greater concurrent mood distress, behavioural disturbance, poorer response to past treatment, and lesser expectations of future treatment benefits than participants who did not blame anyone for their pain. The present study partially replicated the DeGood and Kiernan study. Subjects were 210 (110 males and 100 females) chronic pain patients from the Flinders Medical Centre Pain Management Unit in Adelaide, South Australia. Participants completed self-report measures of demographic, psychosocial, and behavioural variables. Contrary to DeGood and Kiernan's (1996) results, other-blame was not found to be a significant predictor of poor response to past pain treatments. Rather, linear multiple regression analyses revealed that a perceived sense of control over pain was a significant predictor of confidence in past pain relief treatments. A logistic regression revealed that time since onset of pain was the only significant predictor of the tendency to blame others. Implications of this study for chronic pain research and treatment are discussed. / Thesis (MPsy(Clinical))--University of South Australia, 2005.

This research assessed the clinical utility of an augmented Short Form 36 (SF-36) instrument, namely, the Treatment Outcomes in Pain Survey (TOPS) in an Australian chronic pain population. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was adopted. Intervention comprised patients attending the Comprehensive Outpatient Pain Education and Rehabilitation (COPER) program, which is an intensive, inter-disciplinary, three-week, cognitive behaviour therapy based outpatient chronic pain treatment. Statistical analysis comprised pre-treatment and post-treatment means and standard deviations, effect sizes, paired samples t-tests, and Cronbach's alpha. Australian norms for 86 (42 males and 44 females) patients were presented for initial values and treatment-related improvements. Internal consistency reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) demonstrated that the TOPS was a reliable measure of group outcomes. Two dimensions, Life control and Total Pain Experience, were sensitive enough to follow individual patients. All SF-36 domains and ten of the fourteen TOPS domains improved significantly following treatment. Despite the limitations to this research, the results are consistent with previous findings (Fishbain, 2000; Morley, Eccleston, & Williams, 1999) that cognitive behavioural, multidisciplinary pain treatment is associated with improvement in a number of biopsychosocial aspects of chronic pain as measured by the TOPS. These include Pain Symptom, Lower Body Functional Limitations, Perceived Family/Social Disability, Objective Family/Social Disability, Total Pain Experience, Life Control, Solicitous Responses, Upper Body Functional Limitations, Fear Avoidance, Patient Satisfaction with Outcomes, as well as general health and wellbeing aspects measured by the SF-36 component of the TOPS. Limitations of the study and potential future research are discussed. / Thesis (MPsy(Clinical))--University of South Australia, 2005.

Thesis (MPsych(Clin))--University of South Australia, 1999

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Case Western Reserve University, 2009 / Abstract Department of Biomedical Engineering Title from PDF (viewed on 20 April 2009) Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M Nursing)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2008. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Elizabeth G. Nichols. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 36-38).

Thesis (doctoral)--Lund University, 1998. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, May, 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Lund University, 1998. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted.