Pain-Related Acceptance as a Mediator in the Fear Avoidance Model of Chronic Pain: A Preliminary Study

Multidimensional visualization and analysis of chronic pain variables of patients who attended a chronic pain program

Psychologically-based chronic pain variables measure multiple domains of the pain experience such as anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, acceptance and stages of change. These variables measure specific areas such as emotional and cognitive states towards chronic pain and its management, acceptance towards the chronic pain condition, and an individual's readiness to move towards self-management methods. Conceptually, these variables appear to be interrelated to each other, and also form groupings of similar underlying themes. Groupings that have been previously discussed for these variables include positive and negative affect, and improved and poor adjustment. Psychological experience of chronic pain as a whole is mostly understood through conceptually consolidating individual scores across different measures covering multiple domains. A map of these variables in relation to each other can offer an overview for further understanding and exploration. We hereby visualize highlights of relationships among 11 psychosocial chronic pain variables including measures examining physical and somatic aspects, using three-dimensional biplots. Variables roughly form two groupings, with one grouping consisting of items of negative affect, cognition, and physical state ratings, and the other grouping consisting of items of acceptance and the later three stages of change (contemplation, action, maintenance). Also, we follow up with canonical correlation as a complement to further identify key relationships between bimodal groupings. Key variables linking bimodal relationships consist of catastrophizing, depression and anxiety in one grouping and activity engagement in the other. Results are discussed in the context of existing literature.

Investigating the association factors of acute postpartum pain: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

Labor pain intensity is known to predict persistent postpartum pain, whereas acute postpartum pain may interfere with maternal postpartum physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Nevertheless, there is little research studying the association between labor pain intensity and acute postpartum pain. This study investigated the associations between labor pain intensity and psychological factors with acute postpartum pain.

METHODS

We included women with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II, having ≥ 36 gestational weeks and a singleton pregnancy. We investigated the association between labor pain intensity (primary exposure) and high acute postpartum pain at 0 to 24 h after delivery (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) ≥ 3 of 10; primary outcome). Pre-delivery questionnaires including Angle Labor Pain Questionnaire (A-LPQ), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Fear Avoidance Components Scale (FACS) and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were administered. Demographic, pain, obstetric and neonatal characteristics were also collected accordingly.

RESULTS

Of the 880 women studied, 121 (13.8%) had high acute postpartum pain at 0 to 24 h after delivery. A-LPQ total, PCS, FACS and STAI scores were not significantly associated with acute postpartum pain. Greater A-LPQ subscale on birthing pain (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, p = 0.0008), increased blood loss during delivery (for every 10ml change; aOR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.03, p = 0.0148), presence of shoulder dystocia (aOR 10.06, 95% CI 2.28-44.36, p = 0.0023), and use of pethidine for labor analgesia (aOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.07-2.84, p = 0.0271) were independently associated with high acute postpartum pain. "Sometimes" having nausea during menstruation before current pregnancy (aOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.16-0.72, p = 0.0045) was found to be independently associated with reduced risk of high acute postpartum pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-delivery pain factor together with obstetric complications (shoulder dystocia, blood loss during delivery) were independently associated with high acute postpartum pain.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov registry (NCT03167905) on 30/05/2017.

The Role of Psychological Factors in Chronic Pain Treatment Outcomes in the Military

PURPOSE

Chronic pain treatment in the military includes complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies that may affect psychological factors such as pain catastrophizing, chronic pain acceptance, pain self-efficacy, and patient activation. The unique roles that psychosocial factors play in how CIH approaches reduce pain are not clear. This study examined if a holistic pain management program improved pain outcomes through psychological mediators in service members with chronic pain.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of a clinical trial.

METHODS

Active-duty service members (n = 210) were randomly assigned to a 3-week course of standard rehabilitative care or standard rehabilitative care combined with CIH therapies. Both treatments were followed by a 3-week functional restoration program. Study measures were completed pre- and post-treatment using the Military Health System's Pain Assessment Screening Tool and Outcomes Registry. Mediation analyses tested the indirect effects of the change in psychological factors before functional restoration on the change in pain impact (e.g., pain intensity, pain interference, functional status) after functional restoration.

RESULTS

All psychological factors except for chronic pain acceptance were related to improved pain impact (p<.05). Furthermore, a change in psychological factors prior to functional restoration was related to the change in pain impact after functional restoration. However, the addition of CIH therapies to standard rehabilitative care did not result in changes in pain outcomes mediated by the psychological factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Although psychological factors were related to pain outcomes, the effect of CIH therapies on chronic pain did not occur via a change in the four psychological factors.

Catastrophizing, Kinesiophobia, and Acceptance as Mediators of the Relationship Between Perceived Pain Severity, Self-Reported and Performance-Based Physical Function in Women with Fibromyalgia and Obesity

Purpose

Individuals with fibromyalgia and obesity experience significant impairment in physical functioning. Pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and pain acceptance have all been identified as important factors associated with the level of disability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and pain acceptance as mediators of the association between perceived pain severity and physical functioning in individuals with fibromyalgia and obesity.

Patients and Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 165 women with fibromyalgia and obesity completed self-report questionnaires of perceived pain severity (ie, Numeric Pain Rating Scale), pain catastrophizing (ie, Pain Catastrophizing Scale), kinesiophobia (ie Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia), pain acceptance (ie, Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire), and perceived physical functioning (ie, Physical Functioning subscale of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire). In addition, a performance-based test (ie, 6-minute walking test) was conducted to assess objective physical functioning. Two multiple mediation analyses were performed.

Results

Pain acceptance and kinesiophobia mediated the relationship between pain severity and self-reported physical functioning. Pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia mediated the relationship between pain severity and performance-based functioning.

Conclusion

Pain acceptance, kinesiophobia, and pain catastrophizing should be addressed in rehabilitative intervention to improve physical functioning. Interestingly, the subjective and objective aspects of physical functioning are influenced by different factors. Therefore, interventions for women with fibromyalgia and obesity should focus on factors related to both subjective and performance-based physical functioning.

Biopsychosocial Factors for Chronicity in Individuals with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: An Umbrella Review

Low back pain (LBP) is a global and disabling problem. A considerable number of systematic reviews published over the past decade have reported a range of factors that increase the risk of chronicity due to LBP. This study summarizes up-to-date and high-level research evidence on the biopsychosocial prognostic factors of outcomes in adults with non-specific low back pain at follow-up. An umbrella review was carried out. PubMed, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus and PEDro were searched for studies published between 1 January 2008 and 20 March 2020. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full texts, extracted data and assessed review quality. Fifteen systematic reviews met the eligibility criteria; all were deemed reliable according to our criteria. There were five prognostic factors with consistent evidence of association with poor acute-subacute LBP outcomes in the long term (high levels of pain intensity and disability, high emotional distress, negative recovery expectations and high physical demands at work), as well as one factor with consistent evidence of no association (low education levels). For mixed-duration LBP, there was one predictor consistently associated with poor outcomes in the long term (high pain catastrophism). We observed insufficient evidence to synthesize social factors as well as to fully assess predictors in the chronic phase of LBP. This study provides consistent evidence of the predictive value of biological and psychological factors for LBP outcomes in the long term. The identified prognostic factors should be considered for inclusion into low back pain explanatory models.

Effects of Interoceptive Sensibility on Mental Health during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

The current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has been reported to influence interoceptive sensibility. This study focused on adaptive and maladaptive aspects of interoceptive sensibility and examined how each aspect of interoceptive sensibility affects depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms under the mild lockdown in Japan, which was not enforceable and a non-punitive lockdown. We used data from 10,672 participants who lived in prefectures where the emergency declaration was first applied in Japan. Interoceptive sensibility was measured by the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). The findings show that Noticing, a subscale of the MAIA, significantly contributed to the worsening of psychological and somatic symptoms (all ps < 0.001). Conversely, Not-Distracting, Not-Worrying, Self-Regulation, and Trusting significantly contributed to the decrease of these symptoms (all ps < 0.05). The findings suggest that two aspects of interoceptive sensibility affected mental health in different ways during the mild lockdown. Mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions would be effective in terms of enhancing adaptive aspects of interoceptive sensibility.