The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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Little is known about the associations between pain, stress, and co-occurring symptoms in oncology patients. Purpose was to identify subgroups of patients with distinct worst pain profiles and evaluate for differences among the subgroups in demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as stress and symptom scores. Oncology outpatients (n = 1305) completed questionnaires prior to their second or third chemotherapy cycle. ⋯ This study is the first to identify distinct worst pain profiles in a large sample of oncology patients receiving chemotherapy and associated risk factors. PERSPECTIVE: Unrelieved pain remains a significant problem for oncology patients receiving chemotherapy. High levels of stress and co-occurring symptoms contribute to a more severe pain profile in these patients.
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Chronic back pain is a common problem that negatively impacts the wellbeing of many adolescents. Prior research suggests that the prevalence of chronic back pain has increased over the last decades, but research on this issue is scarce, single country-based, and has yielded inconsistent results. This study aimed to examine trends in the prevalence of chronic back pain over time in adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15, using data from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. ⋯ More resources should be allocated to the prevention and treatment of chronic back pain in adolescents, especially for older girls. PERSPECTIVE: The prevalence of chronic back pain in adolescents has increased from 2001-2002 to 2013-2014, especially in older adolescent girls. These findings underline the need of further research to understand the reason behind the increasing trend, and what programs are better suited to prevent chronic back pain among adolescents.
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The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of cognitive processing biases in Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic pain, 2 conditions that are highly co-morbid. The final sample comprised 333 individuals (86 with T2D and chronic pain, 65 with chronic pain, 76 with T2D, 106 without any form of diabetes or pain). Participants completed questionnaires assessing pain and diabetes-related outcomes, as well as measures of interpretation bias, attentional bias, and attentional bias variability. ⋯ These findings suggest a more dynamic approach to understanding cognitive bias is needed, to consider when these biases are more or less adaptive, so that they can be better harnessed to improve outcomes for individuals with T2D who experience chronic pain. PERSPECTIVE: These findings suggest that cognitive biases can be associated with psychopathology in chronic pain and in T2D, but can also potentially be adaptive in those with T2D. Diabetes management interventions may require a careful balance between promoting sufficient concern to motivate engagement in adaptive diabetes self-management, whilst also minimizing fear of hypoglycemia.