Addictive behaviors
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Addictive behaviors · Jun 2021
Tobacco use severity in relation to opioid misuse and dependence among adult tobacco users with chronic pain: The moderating role of pain-related anxiety.
The opioid epidemic is a significant public health crisis that is often linked to chronic pain management. One ensuing consequence of long-term opioid use for chronic pain is a high potential for opioid misuse and dependence. Although tobacco is commonly used among individuals with chronic pain, it is associated with an increased risk for opioid-related problems. ⋯ Two hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to test main and interactive effects of tobacco use severity and pain-related anxiety for current opioid misuse and severity of opioid dependence. Results indicated a significant moderation effect, such that the relationship between tobacco use severity and opioid misuse and dependence was stronger among individuals with higher (but not lower) pain-related anxiety. These findings build upon the extant literature by demonstrating an interactive effect of tobacco use severity and pain-related anxiety in terms of opioid-related outcomes and suggest that current tobacco users with elevated levels of pain-related anxiety may be at increased risk for opioid misuse and dependence.