The Clinical journal of pain
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Catastrophic appraisal has been implicated as a possible cause of psychiatric morbidity, psychological distress, and physical impairment in individuals with chronic pain. At issue in this study was whether catastrophizing was associated with psychiatric morbidity in a population sample of National Guard members. In addition, we sought to determine whether it could account for individual differences in psychological distress and impaired physical function in the presence of acute and chronic pain. ⋯ Although catastrophizing beliefs are common in clinical settings, this study suggests that the phenomenon may be prevalent in the population at large and likely to influence the outcome of acute as well as chronic pain.
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Multicenter Study
A prospective study of the herpes zoster severity of illness.
MASTER, a multicenter prospective study, was conducted to provide a thorough understanding of the burden of herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Objectives are to: (1) describe the herpes zoster severity-of-illness (HZSOI), a composite measure of pain duration and severity; and (2) to identify the characteristics at recruitment predictive of greater HZSOI at the different phases of HZ. ⋯ Using an informative measure capturing simultaneously the burden caused by pain duration and severity, we identified subgroups that suffer most during the different phases of HZ. It is interesting to note that, younger participants were as likely to suffer as the older ones during the acute phase of HZ. This information should aid in optimizing the treatment and prevention of HZ.
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Multicenter Study
Risk factors associated with opioid medication misuse in community-dwelling older adults with chronic pain.
The aim of the study was to identify physical, psychological, and social risk factors associated with opioid medication misuse among community-dwelling older adults with chronic pain. ⋯ High pain intensity scores may indicate undertreatment of pain or may represent a rationalization to justify opioid medication use. Higher levels of depressive symptoms have been noted in the chronic pain population and may contribute to misuse of opioid medications for psychic effects. Less physically disabled persons are more likely to misuse opioid medications or older person receiving multiple medications may wish to avoid potential adverse drug effects. While there was an association between lower levels of disability and higher risk for opioid medication misuse, a causal relationship could not be determined.