Thesis (Ph. D.)--Göteborg University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Lancaster Bible College, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-87).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Purpose: This study explored therapeutic processes associated with developing a course for patients with persistent pain which integrated osteopathic treatment with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This 'third wave’ cognitive behavioural approach is effective for a range of physical and psychological problems, including persistent pain, and congruent with osteopathic principles of holism, function and agency, which provided a theoretical basis for developing an integrated intervention to promote resilience and well-being. A qualitative case study was conducted as part of a developmental research programme to explore how ACT could be integrated with osteopathic treatment for individual patients, and with what effects on processes and outcomes. Method: Linguistic ethnography was used to explore links between pain-related discourses, clinical decisions and responses to pain. Treatments were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded. Extracts referring to discourses about pain experienced during manual therapy were subjected to micro-level conversation analysis, sociolinguistic analysis of participants’ roles, and macro-level analysis of links to broader healthcare discourses. A reflective diary was used to explore experiential learning and integrate auto-ethnographic information. Results: Two distinctive forms of mechanistic and facilitative pain discourse were identified. In predominantly mechanistic discourses, agency and expertise were located with the osteopath, and intention was focused on fixing ‘broken’ parts and relieving pain using ‘familiar’ osteopathic techniques. In facilitative discourses, the osteopath adopted a more collaborative role, focused on developing the patient's body and self-awareness to promote more flexible, active pain responses. Practitioner challenges included learning how to shift intention between mechanistic and facilitative interventions, a process that was enabled by mindfulness and willingness to tolerate uncertainty. Conclusions: In this study, ACT-informed osteopathy involved facilitative discourses, associated with increased patient agency and flexibility in response to pain. Further research is needed to explore whether this pattern of discourse is robust in other clinical settings; relationships between mechanistic and facilitative discourses and therapeutic outcomes; and effects of ACT training on practitioner mindfulness and attitude towards clinical uncertainty. Findings suggest that this integrated approach could expand the scope of osteopathic care for patients with persistent pain, and is worth further investigation.

OBJECTIVES: 1) To measure the prevalence of precipitating events in pediatric chronic pain patients and 2) to compare pain and functional disability outcomes at evaluation and 4-month follow-up by presence and type of precipitating event. METHODS: Precipitating events (e.g., injury) were coded from the medical record for 401 youth (6-19) who presented to a tertiary care chronic pain clinic. Four-month follow-up disability and pain were collected for 187 patients. In addition to frequency of events, we examined differences in pain and disability measures by event type at evaluation and follow-up using multiple statistical analysis strategies. RESULTS: Two-thirds of patients had a precipitating event prior to pain onset. Injury was the most common (55%), followed by chronic disease (23%), infection/illness (12.8%), and surgery (7.5%). Patients whose pain was triggered by injury reported the highest average pain levels, F(3, 340)=2.67, p<.05 and functional disability, F(3, 295)=3.54, p<.05. There were multiple cases of event groups that had significantly different baseline and follow-up psychological measures when compared to the rest of the patient population. Trajectories of pain and disability did not differ between patients with and without a precipitating event. Patients with injuries reported greater improvement in functional disability at follow-up (time x injury) F(1, 183)=4.88, p<.05 whereas patients with chronic disease reported less improvement in disability (time x chronic disease), F(1, 183)=5.49, p<.05. No other interactions were significant for disability or pain. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of patients had experienced some form of precipitating event prior to their pain onset, and the presence of a precipitating event had varied effects on the treatment outcomes of patients at four-month follow-up. Although patients with injuries presented with greater disability and pain, they had significantly more improvement, while chronic disease patients were less likely to improve in terms of functional disability. Type of precipitating event appears to be associated with treatment response and can inform clinical prognoses.

abstract: Prevailing models describing coping with chronic pain posit that it is a complex day-to-day process that can involve psychosocial factors, including cognitive appraisals about pain, interpersonal challenges such as distressed social relationships, and reduced engagement in enjoyable experiences. Few studies, however, have applied a process-oriented approach to elaborate the relations between key pain-related appraisals, social environmental factors, and self-efficacy, a key self-appraisal for successful adaptation to chronic pain. This study used within-day daily diary methodology to test the following hypotheses: (a) increases in morning pain catastrophizing predict decreases in end of day pain self-efficacy; (b) increases in perceived stressfulness of interpersonal relations occurring during the day exacerbate the negative effects of morning catastrophizing on end-of-day pain self-efficacy; and (c) increases in perceived enjoyment of interpersonal relations occurring during the day mitigate the negative effects of morning pain catastrophizing on end of day pain self-efficacy. Within-day measures, including morning pain catastrophizing, afternoon interpersonal stress and enjoyment ratings, and end-of-day pain self-efficacy, were collected for 21 days via an automated phone system from 223 participants with widespread chronic pain. The use of diary data allowed for examination of time-varying processes related to pain adaptation. Results of multilevel regression models indicated that, consistent with prediction, increases in morning pain catastrophizing and predicted decreases in end-of-day pain self-efficacy. Contrary to prediction, changes in midday interpersonal enjoyment and stress did not moderate the within-day catastrophizing-efficacy relation. Rather increases in midday enjoyment and stable individual differences in enjoyment predicted end-of-day efficacy. Overall, findings suggest a within-day relation between pain cognition and social context and subsequent self-efficacy, and highlight potential targets for intervention in chronic pain. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2018

abstract: Current models of pain coping typically focus on how pain contributes to poor physical and psychological functioning. Researchers have argued that this focus on the negative consequences is too narrow and does not account for times when individuals are able to maintain meaningful functioning despite their pain. Thus, the current study sought to investigate the day-to-day processes that both help and hinder recovery from pain and persistence towards daily goals. Specifically, the present study tested: a) a two-factor model of risk and resilience “factors” that capture key processes across affective, cognitive and social dimensions of functioning, and b) whether the relation between morning pain and end-of-day physical disability is mediated by increases in these afternoon risk and resilience factors. Within-day study measures were collected for 21 days via an automated phone system from 220 participants with Fibromyalgia. The results of multi-level confirmatory factor analysis indicated that, consistent with prediction, risk and resilience do constitute two factors. Findings from multilevel structural equation models also showed resilience factor mediated the link between late morning increases in pain and end-of-day disability, in line with hypotheses. Although the vulnerability factor as a whole did not mediate the within-day link between pain and disability, pain-catastrophizing individually did serve as a significant mediator of this relation. This study was the first to empirically test a within-day latent factor model of resilience and vulnerability and the first to capture the multidimensional nature of the pain experience by examining mechanisms across affective, cognitive and social domains of functioning. The findings of the current study suggest that in addition to studying the processes by which pain has a negative influence on the lives of pain sufferers, our understanding of the pain adaptation process can be further improved by concurrently examining mechanisms that motivate individuals to overcome the urge to avoid pain and to function meaningfully despite it. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Psychology 2018

Objective: To explore and describe the current transition environment for young people with chronic pain in Canada. Quantitative study: An online survey of nurses working in the pediatric and adult chronic pain setting was conducted to describe the current clinical practices used in both settings to support transition of young people with chronic pain in Canada. Qualitative study: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people with chronic pain who had recently transitioned from the pediatric setting to the adult healthcare setting to explore their transition experiences. Conclusions: The findings from these studies suggest that young people with chronic pain have similar transition related needs to other young people with chronic conditions as well as unique challenges. Nurses can have a positive impact on transition outcomes by developing processes and forming networks of clinicians who work with young people with chronic pain in order to improve transition related outcomes.

Moçambique é um pais que vem passando por profundas mudanças políticas e sociais nos últimos 50 anos. Dentro deste contexto, em 1996, uma Unidade de Dor foi criada no Hospital Central de Maputo. O objetivo do presente estudo foi descrever e analisar os aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos e emocionais de pacientes com dor crónica atendidos na Unidade de Dor. Um total de 118 pacientes foram entrevistados por um período de 2 meses. Destes, 79 (66,9%) eram mulheres e 39 (33,1%) eram homens. A média de idade foi de 52,4 anos, com um desvio padrão de 13,7. Cento e sete (90,7%) eram negros. Quarenta pacientes (33,9%) tiveram o diagnóstico da dor neuropática, 40 (33,9%) apresentaram dor osteomuscular, 8 (6,8%) tiveram dor relacionada com a SIDA, 17 (14,4%) tiveram dor oncológica. A média da escala numérica de dor foi 8,37 e a media de duração da dor crónica foi 41,75 meses. Entre os medicamentos abortivos para a dor, o paracetamol foi o mais utilizado e amitriptilina profilático foi o mais amplamente utilizado. Independentemente do seu tratamento na unidade de dor, cinquenta e oito pacientes (49,2%) também receberam algum tratamento de curandeiros locais. Quanto aos aspectos emocionais, foram encontrados 39 (33,1%) pacientes que preenchiam os critérios do DSM-IV de transtorno depressivo maior. Estes resultados são discutidos com base nos aspectos culturais envolvidos / Mozambique is a country that has been experiencing profound political and social changes over the last 50 years. Within this context, in 1996 a Pain Unit was set up in the Central Hospital of Maputo. The objective of the present study was to describe and analyze the epidemiological, clinical and emotional aspects of patients with chronic pain attended at the Pain Unit. A total of 118 patients were interviewed over a period of 2 months. Of these, 79 (66.9%) were women and 39 (33.1%) were men. Mean patient age was 52.4 years, with a standard deviation of 13.7. Hundred seven (90.7%) were black. Forty patients (33.9%) had a diagnosis of neuropathic pain, 40 (33,9%) had ostheomuscular pain, 8 (6.8%) had pain related to AIDS, 17 (14.4%) had oncologic pain. Mean of visual analogic scale for pain was 8,37 and chronic pain duration was 41.75 months . Between the abortive medications for pain, paracetamol was the most used and prophylactic amitriptyline was the most widely used. Regardless of their treatment at the Pain Unit, fifty eight patients (49.2%) also received some treatment from local healers. When emotional aspects were considered, 39 (33.1%) patients were found to have depressive symptoms that fulfilled DSM IV criteria of depressive disorder. These results are discussed based on the cultural aspects involved

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Jared A. Durtschi / Chronic pain is one of the most pervasive healthcare conditions being treated today. The onset of chronic pain can start at any age, and can follow a myriad of trajectories. Health conditions like chronic pain have been shown to be associated with increases in depression, anxiety, and other adverse mental health outcomes. The present study utilized a sample of 10,266 adult individuals with chronic conditions where chronic pain was typically present to identify different profiles of chronic pain sufferers and then examine the associations between general health, chronic pain profile membership, and mental health outcomes. Although previous studies have attempted to identify chronic pain profiles, no study has yet explored how pain frequency and intensity, fatigue, duration of chronic condition, and physical limitations caused by this condition may uniquely identify subgroups within the chronic pain population. Utilizing a latent profile analysis, four distinct profiles of chronic pain were identified, including a Constant Companion profile, an Adjustments Needed profile, an Annoying Companion profile, and a No Limitations profile. Through a path analysis, significant associations were found between both general health and changes in general health, chronic pain profile membership, and frequency of anxious, depressed, and hopeless feelings. Results generally were counterintuitive, with better health linked with higher odds of fitting the more extreme chronic pain profiles compared to the no limitations profile; and those in the more extreme chronic pain profiles had significantly less frequent feelings of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. Ideas for clinical implications and suggestions for future research are provided.