Positive and negative affect dimensions in chronic knee osteoarthritis: effects on clinical and laboratory pain

The Contribution of Sleep Quality and Psychological Factors to the Experience of Within-Day Pain Fluctuations Among Individuals With Temporomandibular Disorders

We assessed the impact of day-to-day sleep quality and psychological variables (catastrophizing, negative affect, and positive affect) to within-day pain fluctuations in 42 females with painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) using electronic diaries. More specifically, we examined the contribution of these variables to the likelihood of experiencing pain exacerbations defined as 1) an increase of 20 points (or more) in pain intensity on a 0 to 100 visual analog scale from morning to evening, and/or 2) a transition from mild-to-moderate pain over the course of the day; and pain decreases defined as 3) a decrease of 20 points (or more) in pain intensity (visual analog scale) from morning to evening, and/or 4) a reduction from moderate-to-mild pain over the day. The results indicated significantly main effects of sleep on both pain exacerbation outcomes (both P's < .05), indicating that nights with better sleep quality were less likely to be followed by clinically meaningful pain exacerbations on the next day. The results also indicated that days characterized by higher levels of catastrophizing were associated with a greater likelihood of pain exacerbations on the same day (both P's < .05). Daily catastrophizing was the only variable significantly associated with within-day pain decrease indices (both P's < .05). None of the other variables were associated with these outcomes (all P's > .05). These results underscore the importance of addressing patients' sleep quality and psychological states in the management of painful TMD. PERSPECTIVE: These findings highlight the significance of sleep quality and pain catastrophizing in the experience of within-day pain fluctuations among individuals with TMD. Addressing these components through tailored interventions may help to alleviate the impact of pain fluctuations and enhance the overall well-being of TMD patients.

One session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation induces mild and transient analgesic effects among female individuals with painful temporomandibular disorders

OBJECTIVE

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are characterised by chronic pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and masticatory muscles. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a potential non-invasive treatment for chronic pain; however, its effectiveness in individuals with TMD has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the immediate and sustained (over seven consecutive days) effects of a single session of active rTMS compared to sham stimulation on pain intensity and pain unpleasantness in individuals with TMD.

METHODS

A randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled trial enrolled 41 female participants with chronic TMD. Pain intensity and pain unpleasantness were assessed immediately pre- and post-intervention, as well as twice daily for 21 days using electronic diaries. Secondary outcomes included pain interference, sleep quality, positive and negative affect and pain catastrophizing. Adverse effects were monitored. Repeated measures ANOVA and multilevel modelling regression analyses were employed for data analysis.

RESULT

Active rTMS demonstrated a significant immediate mild reduction in pain intensity and pain unpleasantness compared to sham stimulation. However, these effects were not sustained over the 7-day post-intervention period. No significant differences were observed between interventions for pain interference, sleep quality and negative affect. A minority of participants reported minor and transient side effects, including headaches and fatigue.

CONCLUSION

A single session of active rTMS was safe and led to immediate mild analgesic effects in individuals with TMD compared to sham stimulation. However, no significant differences were observed between interventions over the 7-day post-intervention period. Based on this study, rTMS stimulation appears to be a promising safe approach to be tested in TMD patients with longer stimulation protocols.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded mechanistic clinical trial using endotoxin to evaluate the relationship between insomnia, inflammation, and affective disturbance on pain in older adults: A protocol for the sleep and Healthy Aging Research for pain (SHARE-P) study

Chronic pain is prevalent in older adults. Treatment, especially with opioids, is often ineffective and poses considerable negative consequences in this population. To improve treatment, it is important to understand why older adults are at a heightened risk for developing chronic pain. Insomnia is a major modifiable risk factor for chronic pain that is ubiquitous among older adults. Insomnia can also lead to heightened systemic inflammation and affective disturbance, both of which may further exacerbate pain conditions in older adults. Endotoxin exposure can be used as an experimental model of systemic inflammation and affective disturbance. The current study aims to understand how insomnia status and endotoxin-induced changes in inflammation and affect (increased negative affect and decreased positive affect) may interact to impact pain facilitatory and inhibitory processes in older adults. Longitudinal data will also assess how pain processing, affective, and inflammatory responses to endotoxin may predict the development of pain and/or depressive symptoms. The current study is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, mechanistic clinical trial in men and women, with and without insomnia, aged 50 years and older. Participants were randomized to either 0.8ng/kg endotoxin injection or saline placebo injection. Daily diaries were used to collect variables related to sleep, mood, and pain at two-week intervals during baseline and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months post-injection. Primary outcomes during the experimental phase include conditioned pain modulation, temporal summation, and affective pain modulation ∼5.5 hours after injection. Primary outcomes for longitudinal assessments are self-reported pain intensity and depressive symptoms. The current study uses endotoxin as an experimental model for pain. In doing so, it aims to extend the current literature by: (1) including older adults, (2) investigating insomnia as a potential risk factor for chronic pain, (3) evaluating the role of endotoxin-induced affective disturbances on pain sensitivity, and (4) assessing sex differences in endotoxin-induced hyperalgesia.

Clinicaltrialsgov

NCT03256760.

Trial sponsor

NIH R01AG057750-01.

The interplay between symptoms of insomnia and pain in people with osteoarthritis: A narrative review of the current evidence

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and clinical pain is the major symptom of OA. This clinical OA-related pain is firmly associated with symptoms of insomnia, which are reported in up to 81% of people with OA. Since understanding the association between both symptoms is critical for their appropriate management, this narrative review synthesizes the existing evidence in people with OA on i) the mechanisms underlying the association between insomnia symptoms and clinical OA-related pain, and ii) the effectiveness of conservative non-pharmacological treatments on insomnia symptoms and clinical OA-related pain. The evidence available identifies depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing and pain self-efficacy as mechanisms partially explaining the cross-sectional association between insomnia symptoms and pain in people with OA. Furthermore, in comparison to treatments without a specific insomnia intervention, the ones including an insomnia intervention appear more effective for improving insomnia symptoms, but not for reducing clinical OA-related pain. However, at a within-person level, treatment-related positive effects on insomnia symptoms are associated with a long-term pain reduction. Future longitudinal prospective studies offering fundamental insights into neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms explaining the association between insomnia symptoms and clinical OA-related pain will enable the development of effective treatments targeting both symptoms.

The Association Between Perceived Injustice and Opioid Craving in Patients With Chronic Pain: The Mediating Role of Daily Pain Intensity, Negative Affect, and Catastrophizing

OBJECTIVES

The first objective of this study was to examine the association between perceived injustice and opioid craving in patients with chronic pain who are prescribed opioids. We also examined whether pain intensity, negative affect, or catastrophizing mediated this association.

METHODS

In this longitudinal diary study, patients (n = 103) completed a questionnaire assessing perceived injustice and then completed daily measures of pain intensity, negative affect, catastrophizing, and opioid craving for 14 consecutive days.

RESULTS

A significant association was found between perceived injustice and opioid craving ( P < 0.01), with higher levels of perceived injustice being associated with heightened levels of opioid craving. A 2-1-1 multilevel mediation analysis indicated that the association between perceived injustice and craving was significantly mediated by catastrophizing ( P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study provides new insights into the factors that might contribute to opioid craving in patients with chronic pain. Our findings suggest that perceived injustice might lead to increased catastrophizing and, in turn, heightened daily levels of opioid craving. These findings could have implications for chronic pain management clinicians who prescribe opioids.

Predictors of Pain Reduction Among Fibromyalgia Patients Using Medical Cannabis: A Long-Term Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

Many patients with fibromyalgia (FM) report using cannabis as a strategy to improve pain. Given that pain often co-occurs with symptoms of anxiety and depression (i.e., negative affect) and sleep problems among patients with FM, improvements in these symptoms might indirectly contribute to reductions in pain intensity following cannabis use. The main objective of the study was to examine whether changes in pain intensity following initiation of medical cannabis among patients with FM could be attributed to concurrent changes (i.e., reductions) in negative affect and sleep problems.

METHODS

This was a 12-month prospective cohort study among patients with FM (n = 323) initiating medical cannabis under the care of physicians. Patients were assessed at baseline, and follow-up assessment visits occurred every 3 months after initiation of medical cannabis. Patients' levels of pain intensity, negative affect, and sleep problems were assessed across all visits.

RESULTS

Multilevel mediation analyses indicated that reductions in patients' levels of pain intensity were partly explained by concurrent reductions in sleep problems and negative affect (both P < 0.001). This remained significant even when accounting for patients' baseline characteristics or changes in medical cannabis directives over time (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide preliminary insight into the potential mechanisms of action underlying pain reductions among patients with FM who are using medical cannabis. Given the high attrition rate (i.e., 75%) observed in the present study at 12 months, our findings cannot be generalized to all patients with FM who are using medical cannabis.

Pain Expectancy and Positive Affect Mediate the day-to-day Association Between Objectively Measured Sleep and Pain Severity Among Women With Temporomandibular Disorder

The majority of individuals with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) experience sleep disturbance, which can maintain and exacerbate chronic pain. However, the factors underlying the sleep-pain link have not been fully elucidated, especially beyond the laboratory. Sleep deprivation can induce threat interpretation bias, as well as impairment in positive affective functioning. Using both actigraphy and daily diaries, we examined whether morning pain expectancy and positive affect mediate the association between previous night's sleep disturbance and next-day overall pain severity. Total sleep time (TST) was selected as the primary measure of sleep. The sample included 144 women (mean age = 36 [SD = 11.1]) with TMD who displayed at least subclinical insomnia. Sleep was assessed for 14 days using actigraphy which was validated by concurrent sleep diaries. Daily diary assessments of pain-related experiences and affective states were conducted twice per day (ie, once upon participants' waking and the other prior to going to sleep) for the same 14-day period. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that both morning pain expectancy (95% CI: -.0004, -.00003) and positive affect (95% CI: -.0005, -.000001) mediated the association between previous night's TST and next-day's overall pain severity, such that shorter previous night TST was associated with higher next-morning pain expectancy and lower positive affect, which in turn were associated with a greater level of next-day's overall pain severity while controlling for morning pain severity. Reducing exaggerated daily pain expectancy and up-regulating positive affect may be important intervention targets for disengaging the sleep-pain link among individuals with co-occurring TMD and sleep disturbance. PERSPECTIVE: The daily link between previous night sleep duration and next day pain severity is mediated by morning pain expectancy and positive affect among women with temporomandibular disorder and sleep disturbance. Reducing pain expectancy and increasing positive affect may serve an important role in improving self-management of chronic pain.

The association of affective state with the assimilation of daily pain expectancy and pain experience

ABSTRACT

Expectancies for pain and pain relief are central to experimental models of placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia, and are a promising target for clinical intervention in patients with chronic pain. Affective states may play an important role in modulating the degree to which expectancies influence pain, broadening the opportunities for intervention targets. However, findings to date have been mixed and mostly limited to laboratory designs. Few studies have examined the interplay of naturally occurring affective states, pain expectancies, and pain experiences in the course of daily life with chronic pain. In the present study, patients with temporomandibular disorder reported their daily pain expectancies and affective states each morning, and their daily pain experience each evening, over a two-week period. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed the association of morning pain expectancies with subsequent pain experiences was moderated by morning positive affective state (B=.04, SE=.02, t=2.00, p=.046), such that the congruent assimilation of a low pain expectancy with a low pain experience was starkest when morning positive affect was higher than usual. Relatedly, higher morning positive affect predicted greater odds of experiencing a match between pain expectancies and pain experience when the expectation was for low, but not high, pain levels (OR: 1.19, CI: 1.01-1.41, p=.03). Negative affect, in contrast, did not significantly influence the assimilation of high pain expectancies with high pain experiences. These findings extend prior experimental studies by showing that the association of daily pain expectancies with pain experience varies as a function of affective state.

Short-term pain trajectories in patients with knee osteoarthritis

AIM

It is unknown if pain in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) follows distinct patterns over the short term. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify whether persons with a previous history of KOA pain fluctuations have distinct trajectories of pain over 90 days and to examine associations between baseline characteristics and pain trajectories.

METHOD

People with a previous history of KOA were selected from a web-based longitudinal study. Baseline variables were sex, age, being obese/overweight, years of KOA, knee injury, knee buckling, satisfactory Lubben Social Support Score, pain and stress scales, Intermittent Constant Osteoarthritis Pain Score (ICOAP), medication use, and physical activity. Participants completed a Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (KOOS) pain subscale (KOOS-p, rated 0 = extreme to 100 = no knee problems) at 10-day intervals for 90 days. Short-term KOOS-p trajectories were identified using latent growth mixture modeling and the baseline risk factors for these pain trajectories were examined.

RESULTS

Participants (n = 313) had a mean age of 62.2 (SD ± 8.1) years and and a body mass index of 29.8 (SD ± 6.6) kg/m² . The three-class latent growth mixture modeling quadratic model with best fit indices was chosen (based on lowest sample-size-adjusted Bayesian Information Criterion, high probability of belonging, interpretability). Three distinct pain trajectory clusters (over 90 days) were identified: low-moderate pain at baseline with large improvement (n = 11), minimal change in pain over 90 days (n = 248), and moderate-high pain with worsening (n = 46). Higher ICOAP (intermittent scale), perceived stress, negative affect score, and knee buckling at baseline were associated with a worse knee pain trajectory (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Persons with KOA showed unique short-term pain trajectories over 90 days, with distinct characteristics at baseline associated with each trajectory.

Momentary Associations of Osteoarthritis Pain and Affect: Depression as Moderator

OBJECTIVE

This research examined main and moderating effects of global depressive symptoms upon in-the-moment associations of pain and affect among individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Effects of depression on short-term change in pain and affect were also examined.

METHOD

Older adults with physician-confirmed OA (N=325) completed a baseline interview tapping global depressive symptoms, followed by an experience sampling protocol that captured momentary pain and affect 4 times daily for 7 days. Multilevel models controlling demographics and health conditions examined main and moderating effects of depression on momentary associations of pain with positive (PA) and negative affect (NA). Similar methods addressed short-term change in pain and affect. Auxiliary analyses explored broad associations of depressive symptoms with person-level averages and variability in pain and affect.

RESULTS

Global depression predicted current pain, PA, and NA as well as change in pain and affect over a 3-8 hour period. Further, both in the moment and over short periods, the association of pain and NA was stronger among persons higher in depressive symptoms. No moderating effect for the PA-pain association was found. Depressive symptoms were also associated with variability in pain and affect, particularly NA.

DISCUSSION

Results confirm previous work on the relation of chronic pain with both global depressive symptoms and short-term affect. This research further demonstrates a unique moderating role of depression on the association of momentary pain with NA, and suggests that the causal path may be stronger from pain to affect than vice versa.

Psychological Predictors of Perceived Age and Chronic Pain Impact in Individuals With and Without Knee Osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

Chronological age is a risk factor in chronic pain; however, aging research supports the premise that physical and psychological health may better predict perceived age. Given the lack of evidence on perceived age in the context of chronic pain, the current study presents novel findings about the relationship between perceived age, chronic pain impact, and psychological function in adults with and without knee osteoarthritis.

METHODS

This secondary analysis was part of an ongoing multisite observational cohort study to understand the progression of knee pain and disability. Community-dwelling adults (N=227) ages 45+ completed measures of trait resilience, trait positive and negative affect, pain catastrophizing, subjective perceptions of age, and the Graded Chronic Pain Scale.

RESULTS

On average, participants reported feeling 10 years younger than their chronological age; however, this effect was attenuated in individuals reporting high-impact pain. Lower perceived age was associated with lower pain impact (low pain/low disability), while higher perceived age correlated with higher pain impact (high pain/high disability) and more adverse psychological effects. Using hierarchical linear regression, high-impact pain and positive affect emerged as statistically significant predictors of perceived age, whereas no differences were observed among trait resilience, negative affect, or pain catastrophizing.

DISCUSSION

These findings highlight the importance of a biopsychosocial approach in understanding the intersection between psychological and physical factors associated with chronic pain. Addressing negative self-perceptions of aging, while simultaneously augmenting positive affect, through psychological therapies may mitigate pain and disability.

Day-to-day hedonic and calming effects of opioids, opioid craving, and opioid misuse among patients with chronic pain prescribed long-term opioid therapy

ABSTRACT

Concerns have been raised regarding the misuse of opioids among patients with chronic pain. Although a number of factors may contribute to opioid misuse, research has yet to examine if the hedonic and calming effects that can potentially accompany the use of opioids contribute to opioid misuse. The first objective of this study was to examine the degree to which the hedonic and calming effects of opioids contribute to opioid misuse in patients with chronic pain. We also examined whether the hedonic and calming effects of opioids contribute to patients' daily levels of opioid craving, and whether these associations were moderated by patients' daily levels of pain intensity, catastrophizing, negative affect, or positive affect. In this longitudinal diary study, patients (n = 103) prescribed opioid therapy completed daily diaries for 14 consecutive days. Diaries assessed a host of pain, psychological, and opioid-related variables. The hedonic and calming effects of opioids were not significantly associated with any type of opioid misuse behavior. However, greater hedonic and calming effects were associated with heightened reports of opioid craving (both P's < 0.005). Analyses revealed that these associations were moderated by patients' daily levels of pain intensity, catastrophizing, and negative affect (all P's < 0.001). Results from this study provide valuable new insights into our understanding of factors that may contribute to opioid craving among patients with chronic pain who are prescribed long-term opioid therapy. The implications of our findings for the management of patients with chronic pain are discussed.

Day-to-day opioid withdrawal symptoms, psychological distress, and opioid craving in patients with chronic pain prescribed opioid therapy

BACKGROUND

Research has shown that opioid craving is one of the strongest determinants of opioid misuse in patients with chronic pain. To date, however, little is known on the factors that contribute to opioid craving in these patients. It is possible that patients' physical dependence to opioids, manifested by opioid withdrawal symptoms in between daily opioid doses, contribute to opioid craving. Physical dependence symptoms might also lead to psychological distress, which in turn might contribute to opioid craving. The first objective of this study was to examine the day-to-day association between opioid withdrawal symptoms and opioid craving among patients with chronic pain. We also examined whether negative affect and catastrophic thinking mediated this association.

METHODS

In this longitudinal study, chronic pain patients (n = 79) prescribed short-acting opioids completed daily diaries for 14 consecutive days. Diaries assessed a host of pain, psychological, and opioid-related variables.

RESULTS

Day-to-day elevations in opioid withdrawal symptoms were associated with heightened opioid craving (p < .001). Results of a multilevel mediation analysis revealed that this association was mediated by patients' daily levels of negative affect and catastrophizing (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides valuable new insights into our understanding of factors that may contribute to prescription opioid craving among patients with chronic pain.

The role of affect in chronic pain: A systematic review of within-person symptom dynamics

OBJECTIVE

Chronic pain is conceptualized as a biopsychosocial phenomenon that involves both physical and emotional processes. The vast majority of research regarding these facets of chronic pain characterizes differences between individuals. In this review, we describe problems with assuming that differences between persons accurately characterize within-person processes. We also provide a systematic review of studies that have examined within-person relationships between pain and affect among individuals with chronic pain.

METHOD

Articles published by December 2020 that pertained to within-person assessment of pain and emotion, affect, or mood were identified. Data regarding study design, adherence, and concurrent and prospective relationships among pain and affect variables were extracted and summarized.

RESULTS

Of 611 abstracts, 55 studies met inclusion criteria. Results suggest that individuals with chronic pain tend to experience increased negative affect and decreased positive affect when experiencing more severe pain (r_pooled = .18 and - .19, respectively). However, the size of these effects appeared smaller than between-person associations, and there was evidence of significant variability between individuals. Examination of predictive relationships between pain and affect largely suggested the tendency of symptoms to predict themselves, rather than pain predicting affect or vice versa.

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent with group-level relationships, experiencing more severe pain relative to an individual's average seems to be associated with more negative affect and less positive affect. However, individuals vary in the size and even direction of these effects. More research is necessary to understand the implications of such variability for the assessment and treatment of chronic pain.

Relationships Between Psychological, Sleep, and Physical Activity Measures and Somatosensory Function in People With Peripheral Joint Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Alteration in somatosensory function has been linked to pain experience in individuals with joint pain. In this systematic review we aimed to establish the level of evidence of associations between psychological, social, physical activity, and sleep measures and somatosensory function that were assessed via quantitative sensory testing (QST) among individuals with joint pain.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in 6 electronic databases from their inception to July 2019. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality using a modified Quality in Prognostic Studies (QUIPS) tool and supplemented with recommendations from the Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Review of Prediction Modelling Studies (CHARMS) checklist and the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. The level of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) system. Data were pooled to evaluate the strength of the relationships of interest.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies related to joint pain were included. Pain catastrophizing, depression, anxiety, and physical activity level have been shown to have a significant (small to fair) association with several QST measures. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) is the only measure that was found to be consistently correlated with all the domains. The overall quality of evidence for all factors ranged from very low to moderate. Subgroup analysis revealed a stronger association for depression and pain catastrophizing and PPT and temporal pain summation in individuals with shoulder pain.

CONCLUSION

Psychological factors and physical activity levels are associated with somatosensory function in people with joint pain. These factors need to be adjusted when establishing predictive relationships between somatosensory function and pain outcomes in individuals with joint pain.

Positive affect and chronic pain: a preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis

Chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) is a significant health burden among adults. Standard behavioral therapies typically focus on targeting negative affect (NA) and yield only modest treatment effects. The aims of this study were to systematically review and investigate the association between positive affect (PA) and pain severity among adults with CNCP. Databases that were searched included MEDLINE (PubMed), PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, OLASTER, Open Grey, and PsyArXiv (inception to July 23, 2019). We analyzed studies that: (1) used observational, experimental, or intervention study designs; (2) enrolled individuals with CNCP (pain ≥ 12 weeks); and (3) reported full quantitative results on outcomes. Two researchers independently screened articles, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. The main meta-analysis was followed by subgroup analyses. All analyses were performed using random-effects models. Formal tests for heterogeneity (Q-statistic; I) and publication bias (p-curve and p-uniform*) were performed. We meta-analyzed 29 studies with 3521 participants. Results demonstrated that PA inversely impacts pain severity in people with CNCP (r = -0.23). Subgroup analyses showed a significant effect for gender and marginally significant effects for age in studies that adjusted for NA. On average, effect sizes for observational studies were larger in studies with a higher proportion of female respondents and in studies that did not adjust for NA. Finally, larger effect sizes were found in intervention studies with older compared with younger samples.

Beyond Adaptive Mental Functioning With Pain as the Absence of Psychopathology: Prevalence and Correlates of Flourishing in Two Chronic Pain Samples

Chronic pain outcomes are traditionally defined in terms of disability and illness. A definition of adaptive functioning in the context of chronic pain beyond the mere absence of negative outcomes, is the ability to flourish (i.e., experience emotional, psychological and social well-being; Keyes, 2002). We explored in two chronic pain samples the prevalence and sociodemographic, physical and psychological correlates of flourishing, and complemented this exploration with a similar examination of (being at risk for) psychopathology to help contextualize findings. Sample 1 (n = 1498) was a nationally representative sample. Subgroups included people with regular joint pain (1), regular joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis (2) and without chronic pain (3). Using chi-square tests we calculated the prevalence of both mental health outcomes and examined if people with or without chronic pain were more/less likely to flourish/at risk for psychopathology. Sample 2 (n = 238) concerned baseline data of a Randomized Controlled Trial on the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain (Trompetter et al., 2015b). We performed logistic regression analysis to identify flourishers/those at risk for depression. The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form was used to measure flourishing. The prevalence of flourishing was 34% (recurrent joint pain) and 38% (recurrent joint pain and arthritis) in sample 1, and 23% in sample 2. Compared to those without chronic pain, people with chronic pain were as likely to flourish, but more likely to be at risk for psychopathology. In sample 2, both flourishing and being at risk for depression were related foremost to psychological correlates. While engaged living was the most important correlate of flourishing, pain catastrophizing and psychological inflexibility were most important correlates of being at risk for depression. In conclusion, people with chronic pain are able to flourish. Findings suggest that positive and negative chronic pain outcomes function on two different continua, with potentially unique protective and risk factors. The Psychological Flexibility model provides pathways to explain both poor and optimal functioning in the presence of chronic pain. A better understanding of people with chronic pain who are able to flourish can be a fruitful endeavor to improve chronic pain models and interventions.

Best Evidence Rehabilitation for Chronic Pain Part 5: Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability in older adults, which most commonly affects the joints of the knee, hip, and hand. To date, there are no established disease modifying interventions that can halt or reverse OA progression. Therefore, treatment is focused on alleviating pain and maintaining or improving physical and psychological function. Rehabilitation is widely recommended as first-line treatment for OA as, in many cases, it is safer and more effective than the best-established pharmacological interventions. In this article, we describe the presentation of OA pain and give an overview of its peripheral and central mechanisms. We then provide a state-of-the-art review of rehabilitation for OA pain—including self-management programs, exercise, weight loss, cognitive behavioral therapy, adjunct therapies, and the use of aids and devices. Next, we explore several promising directions for clinical practice, including novel education strategies to target unhelpful illness and treatment beliefs, methods to enhance the efficacy of exercise interventions, and innovative, brain-directed treatments. Finally, we discuss potential future research in areas, such as treatment adherence and personalized rehabilitation for OA pain.

Intra- and interindividual differences in the within-person coupling between daily pain and affect of older adults

The bidirectional interplay between chronic pain and negative affect is well-established in patient samples. However, less is known about the day-to-day relationship between pain and affect of older adults without severe illnesses and to what extent this association differs within and between individuals. A total of 224 participants (M_age = 77.6, SD_age = 6.2) reported their daily experience of pain, impairment by their pain and affect during 21 consecutive days. Multilevel modeling results showed that on days with increased pain individuals also reported less positive affect and more negative affect. Time-lagged results indicated a temporal carry-over from yesterday's pain to today's negative affect but not to today's positive affect. Moreover, on days when individuals reported stronger impairment by their pain, they showed a stronger within-person coupling between daily pain and affect in contrast to days with a weaker experience of daily impairment. Yesterday's pain and today's negative affect were more strongly associated within individuals who reported higher levels of impairment. Interindividual differences in the within-person coupling between daily pain and affect were found with regard to general physical health conditions and general satisfaction with health. This study demonstrated the importance of focusing on within-person couplings between daily pain and affect beyond patient samples in order to better understand the maintenance of emotional stability despite daily hassles in older adults' everyday lives.

Central hypersensitivity - A model for persistent musculoskeletal pain in inflammatory bowel diseases

Pain is reported to affect over 70% of individuals with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), with abdominal and musculoskeletal (MSK) pain representing the most common complaints. MSK pain is typically considered within the narrow framework of inflammatory extraintestinal manifestations of IBD, resulting in a limited scope for the nature and underlying mechanisms participating in MSK pain experiences in this population. Symptoms related to central sensitization have recently demonstrated association with active IBD and worse MSK pain experiences, suggesting a potential roll for central mechanisms in MSK-related pain. Current literature exploring persistent pain in chronic inflammatory and MSK populations propose complex pain models comprised of dynamic nervous system relationships influenced by primary disease features and concomitant pain states, as well as affective and cognitive components. Nervous system contributions in the development and maintenance of persistent pain are postulated to include mechanisms of peripheral and central sensitization, changes in descending central modulation, as well as structural brain changes. These models go beyond current MSK pain models described in IBD literature, highlighting the need for new frameworks for considering MSK-related pain in IBD. Consequently, this paper proposes a broader theoretical model whereby central mechanisms, such as central sensitization and grey matter changes, as well as psychological and disease factors are suggested to modulate pain experiences in this population. Exploration of relationships within the proposed framework may provide not only a deeper understanding of the generation and maintenance of persistent MSK pain in IBD, but also highlight the need for new targeted management pathways in this population. This paper hypothesizes that exploration of central sensitization in IBD patients will demonstrate altered somatosensory functioning in patients with MSK pain, and that IBD activity and psychological factors will be associated with altered somatosensory functioning and worse pain experiences.

Race/Ethnicity Moderates the Association Between Psychosocial Resilience and Movement-Evoked Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective

Racial/ethnic disparities in pain are well‐recognized, with non‐Hispanic blacks (NHBs) experiencing greater pain severity and pain‐related disability than non‐Hispanic whites (NHWs). Although numerous risk factors are posited as contributors to these disparities, there is limited research addressing how resilience differentially influences pain and functioning across race/ethnicity. Therefore, this study examined associations between measures of psychosocial resilience, clinical pain, and functional performance among adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and assessed the moderating role of race/ethnicity on these relationships.

Methods

In a secondary analysis of the Understanding Pain and Limitations in Osteoarthritic Disease (UPLOAD‐2) study, 201 individuals with knee OA (NHB = 105, NHW = 96) completed measures of resilience (ie, trait resilience, optimism, positive well‐being, social support, positive affect) and clinical pain, as well as a performance‐based measure assessing lower‐extremity function and movement‐evoked pain.

Results

Bivariate analyses showed that higher levels of psychosocial resilience were associated with lower clinical pain and disability and more optimal physical functioning. NHBs reported greater pain and disability, poorer lower‐extremity function, and higher movement‐evoked pain compared with NHWs; however, measures of psychosocial resilience were similar across race/ethnicity. In moderation analyses, higher optimism and positive well‐being were protective against movement‐evoked pain in NHBs, whereas higher levels of positive affect were associated with greater movement‐evoked pain in NHWs.

Conclusion

Our findings underscore the importance of psychosocial resilience on OA‐related pain and function and highlight the influence of race/ethnicity on the resilience‐pain relationship. Treatments aimed at targeting resilience may help mitigate racial/ethnic disparities in pain.

Association Between Predeployment Optimism and Onset of Postdeployment Pain in US Army Soldiers

IMPORTANCE

Pain after deployment is a major health care concern. While risk factors have been previously studied, few studies have explored protective factors.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the prospective association between predeployment optimism and the onset of new pain after deployment in US Army soldiers.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This prospective longitudinal cohort study examined US Army soldiers (active duty, Reserve, and National Guard) who deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq between February 12, 2010, and August 29, 2014, and completed the necessary psychological and health assessments before and after deployment. Analyses were performed in the Person-Event Data Environment between July 2016 and November 2018. This study relied exclusively on existing, secondary Army data. Of the 413 763 Army soldiers who met the specified deployment criteria, 385 925 soldiers were missing 1 or more of the required assessment forms. Of the remaining 27 838 soldiers who were examined for eligibility, 7104 soldiers were excluded because of preexisting back pain, joint pain, or frequent headaches. These exclusions resulted in a final analytic sample of 20 734 eligible soldiers.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

This study examined new reports of pain after deployment, including new back pain, joint pain, and frequent headaches.

RESULTS

Among 20 734 US Army soldiers (87.8% male; mean [SD] age, 29.06 [8.42] years), 37.3% reported pain in at least 1 new area of the body after deployment: 25.3% reported new back pain, 23.1% reported new joint pain, and 12.1% reported new frequent headaches. As a continuous measure, each 1-U increase in optimism was associated with 11% lower odds of reporting any new pain after deployment, even while adjusting for demographic, military, and combat factors (odds ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.86-0.93). Tertile analyses revealed that compared with soldiers with high optimism (lowest odds of new pain) soldiers with low optimism had 35% greater odds of reporting new pain in any of the 3 sites evaluated (odds ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.21-1.50). In addition, a larger increase in risk of new pain was observed when comparing the moderate-optimism and low-optimism groups rather than the high-optimism and moderate-optimism groups.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Higher levels of optimism were associated with lower odds of reporting new pain after deployment, over and above other common determinants of pain, including demographic and military characteristics and combat experiences. Soldiers with low levels of optimism before deployment could benefit from programs geared toward enhancing optimism.

Evaluating psychosocial contributions to chronic pain outcomes

The biopsychosocial model of pain dominates the scientific community's understanding of chronic pain. Indeed, the biopsychosocial approach describes pain and disability as a multidimensional, dynamic integration among physiological, psychological, and social factors that reciprocally influence one another. In this article, we review two categories of studies that evaluate the contributions of psychosocial factors to the experience of chronic pain. First, we consider general psychosocial variables including distress, trauma, and interpersonal factors. Additionally, we discuss pain-specific psychosocial variables including catastrophizing, expectations, and pain-related coping. Together, we present a diverse array of psychological, social, and contextual factors and highlight the need to consider their roles in the development, maintenance, and treatment of chronic pain conditions.

Predictors of Osteoarthritis Pain: the Importance of Resilience

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common and disabling forms of arthritis worldwide, with joint pain being a primary symptom. Given that clinical symptoms often show poor concordance with tissue damage in OA, processes other than joint remodeling likely play a role in the condition. Using the biopsychosocial model of pain as a guiding framework, the purpose of this review is to highlight the extra-articular mechanisms that contribute to pain and dysfunction in OA, with a specific focus on resilience.

RECENT FINDINGS

Whereas previous research has mostly focused on risk factors for worsening of OA pain, recently emerging evidence places greater emphasis on the identification of protective mechanisms that enhance pain adaptation and palliate the negative effects of joint pain. In view of this new and important research, more emphasis should be placed on endogenous pain modulation and, in particular, pain attenuation. The result of such work could serve as a basis for optimizing treatment in the OA population.

Positive affect skills may improve pain management in people with HIV

Non-opioid pain management strategies are critically needed for people with HIV. We therefore conducted a secondary analysis of pain-related outcomes in a randomized controlled trial of a positive affect skills intervention for adults newly diagnosed with HIV (N = 159). Results suggest that, even if pain prevalence rises, positive affect skills may reduce pain interference and prevent increased use of opioid analgesics by people living with HIV. Future research should replicate and extend these findings by conducting trials that are specifically designed to target pain outcomes.

Affect and Incident Participation Restriction in Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

Participation restriction, common among people with knee osteoarthritis (OA), may be influenced by affect. We examined the risk of incident participation restriction over 84 months conferred by positive and negative affect among people with knee OA.

METHODS

Participants were from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study and had or were at high risk of knee OA. Participation restriction was measured using the Instrumental Role Limitation subscale of the Late-Life Disability Index, and affect was measured using the positive affect and depressed mood subscales of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Robust Poisson regression was used to calculate the risk of incident participation restriction over 84 months conferred by combinations of low and high positive and negative affect, adjusting for covariates.

RESULTS

Of 1,810 baseline participants (mean age 62.1 years, 56% female), 470 (26%) had incident participation restriction over 84 months. Participants with low positive affect had 20% greater risk of incident participation restriction than those with high positive affect; participants with high negative affect had 50% greater risk of incident participation restriction compared to those with low negative affect. Participants with both low positive and high negative affect had 80% greater risk of incident participation restriction compared to other combinations of positive and negative affect.

CONCLUSION

Low positive and high negative affect, both alone and in combination, increase the risk of participation restriction among adults with knee OA. Efforts aimed at preventing participation restriction in this population should consider these mood states.

Pain catastrophizing mediates the relationship between trait happiness and depressive symptoms in individuals with current pain

OBJECTIVE

There is an extensive relationship between chronic pain and depression; however, there is less research examining whether pain-specific factors, such as pain intensity, predict depression, above and beyond the role of normative factors, such as positive emotions. The current study characterized the independent contributions of pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, and a trait measure of happiness to self-rated depressive symptoms.

METHODS

We recruited and enrolled 70 volunteers across 3 groups of participants: two groups of patients with current low back pain (one group on opioids and one group opioid-naïve), and individuals in a methadone maintenance treatment program.

RESULTS

Of note, participants reporting concurrent opioid use reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptomatology, although study groups did not differ on any other clinical variables. In our path model, we failed to find direct relationships between pain (intensity or duration) and either trait happiness or depressive symptoms (p > .05). However, our analysis did reveal that individuals with chronic back pain who reported higher levels of trait happiness reported lower levels of depressive symptomatology; this effect was significantly mediated by lower levels of pain catastrophizing (standardized ab = -.144, p = .002).

CONCLUSION

Our analysis suggests that trait happiness, while unrelated to ongoing pain, may predict a decreased vulnerability to depressive symptoms in individuals with chronic pain, which may operate via lower levels of pain catastrophizing.

Can positive affect attenuate (persistent) pain? State of the art and clinical implications

Purpose of Review

Pain is an intense experience that can place a heavy burden on peoples’ lives. The identification of psychosocial risk factors led to the development of effective pain treatments. However, effect sizes are modest. Accumulating evidence suggests that enhancing protective factors might also impact on (well-being despite) pain. Recent findings on positive affect (interventions) towards pain-related outcomes will be reviewed, and new avenues for treatment of persistent pain will be discussed.

Recent Findings

Positive affect significantly attenuates the experience of pain in healthy and clinical populations. Positive affect interventions effectively reduce pain sensitivity and bolster well-being despite pain. Through both psychological and (neuro-)biological pathways, but also through its effect on central treatment processes such as inhibitory learning, positive affect can optimize the efficacy of existing treatments.

Summary

Comprehensive understanding of the unique roles and dynamic interplay of positive and negative affect in moderating pain may optimize the treatment of (persistent) pain.

Sex moderates the effects of positive and negative affect on clinical pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Sex differences in clinical pain severity and response to experimental pain are commonly reported, with women generally showing greater vulnerability. Affect, including state (a single rating) and stable (average daily ratings over two weeks) positive affect and negative affect has also been found to impact pain sensitivity and severity, and research suggests that affect may modulate pain differentially as a function of sex. The current study aimed to examine sex as a moderator of the relationships between affect and pain-related outcomes among participants with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

METHODS

One hundred and seventy-nine participants (59 men) with KOA completed electronic diaries assessing clinical pain, positive affect, and negative affect. A subset of participants (n=120) underwent quantitative sensory testing, from which a single index of central sensitization to pain was derived. We used multiple regression models to test for the interactive effects of sex and affect (positive versus negative and stable versus state) on pain-related outcomes. We used mixed effects models to test for the moderating effects of sex on the relationships between state affect and pain over time.

RESULTS

Sex differences in affect and pain were identified, with men reporting significantly higher stable positive affect and lower central sensitization to pain indexed by quantitative sensory testing, as well as marginally lower KOA-specific clinical pain compared to women. Moreover, there was an interaction between stable positive affect and sex on KOA-specific clinical pain and average daily non-specific pain ratings. Post hoc analyses revealed that men showed trends towards an inverse relationship between stable positive affect and pain outcomes, while women showed no relationship between positive affect and pain. There was also a significant interaction between sex and stable negative affect and sex on KOA-specific pain such that men showed a significantly stronger positive relationship between stable negative affect and KOA-specific pain than women. Sex did not interact with state affect on pain outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that men may be particularly sensitive to the effects of stable positive affect and negative affect on clinical pain. Future work with larger samples is needed in order to identify potential mechanisms driving the sex-specific effects of affect on pain.

IMPLICATIONS

The current study provides novel data that suggesting that the association of positive affect, negative affect, and pain are different in men versus women with KOA. Further understanding of the difference in affective expression between men and women may lead to the development of novel therapeutic interventions and help to identify additional modifiable factors in the prevention and management of pain.

Inter- and Intra-Individual Variation in Emotional Complexity: Methodological Considerations and Theoretical Implications

The degree of relationship between positive and negative emotional states or emotional complexity is a topic of ongoing methodological and theoretical debate. At issue is whether positive and negative emotions are opposite ends of a bipolar continuum or independent dimensions in a bivariate distribution with little degree of overlap. In this review, we summarize a body of work suggesting that the distinction between positive and negative emotions varies both between and within individuals over time as a function of cognition and changes in informational demands, a perspective called the Dynamic Model of Affect (DMA). In addition to providing a unifying theoretical model that specifies the conditions under which both bivariate and bipolar models of affect may be valid, the DMA offers an integrative, multidimensional affective framework through which models of resilience and stress adaptation may be articulated. Future work should continue to explore the contextual factors, especially those that have relevance for the complexity of information processing, as potential moderators of the dynamic interplay between positive and negative emotions.

Affective temperament does not influence satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Inherent temperament of the patient may predict the outcome of the surgical procedure. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether negative affective temperament affects patient satisfaction and outcome measures.

METHODS

This prospective study included 143 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty for primary arthrosis. Preoperatively, the Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Auto questionnaire was used to define the temperament of the patient. Knee Society Score (KSS) and short form-36 (SF-36) outcome measures were used to evaluate the functional outcome.

RESULTS

No relationship was determined between temperament and satisfaction (P = .734). Overall, the satisfaction rate of the procedure in our patients was 93%. The KSS improved from a mean of 47.9 to 70.1 (F = 124.275; P < .05) and the SF-36 physical component summary, and SF-36 mental component summary scores improved to a mean of 39.5 and 43.04 points, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Temperament was not found to have any effect on patient satisfaction. However, patient satisfaction was directly related to better functional outcomes.

Exploring the relationship between disease-related pain and cortisol levels in women with osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVES

To determine if (1) Osteoarthritis (OA)-related pain is associated with the diurnal cortisol pattern and cortisol levels; (2) the diurnal pattern of cortisol varies with severity of OA pain and (3) the association between OA pain and cortisol is mediated by daily experience variables (DEV).

DESIGN

In a community-based study of changes in regional and widespread pain among women with OA, participants (n = 31) completed daily diaries and collected three saliva samples daily for 7 days. Severity of OA-related pain was assessed by the validated Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale. Multilevel regression analyses estimated associations between OA pain and diurnal cortisol levels and slopes, controlling for body mass index (BMI), medication use, time and day. Mediation analyses examined DEV as potential mediators of the association between OA pain and cortisol.

RESULTS

The mean age was 57 years and average BMI 31 kg/m². Mean WOMAC pain subscale score was 8.8. Women with higher WOMAC pain scores had higher cortisol throughout the day. The estimated association of WOMAC with cortisol [β 0.083(0.02, 0.15) P = 0.009] represents a ∼9% increase in cortisol for every unit increase in WOMAC pain score. Women with WOMAC pain scores ≥9 had higher cortisol levels than those with scores <9. Examination of DEV revealed no significant mediated associations between these relationships at the daily level.

CONCLUSION

In women with OA, disease-related pain is positively associated with cortisol production, particularly with greater pain severity. Future studies should explore biologic mediating variables between OA pain and cortisol.

Depressive Symptoms and Momentary Mood Predict Momentary Pain Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

BACKGROUND

Although a relationship between mood and pain has been established cross-sectionally, little research has examined this relationship using momentary within-person data.

PURPOSE

We examined whether baseline depressive symptoms and within-person levels of negative and positive mood predicted momentary pain among 31 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS

Depressive symptomatology was measured at baseline. Mood and RA symptoms were self-reported via ecological momentary assessment five times a day for seven consecutive days. Analyses controlled for gender, age, weekend day, time of day, and experiences of stress.

RESULTS

Greater momentary positive mood was associated with less momentary pain and fewer arthritis-related restrictions; negative mood was associated with more restrictions. Greater depressive symptomatology also predicted more pain and restrictions, an effect which was not accounted for by mood.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that both depression and mood are uniquely associated with momentary pain; as such, multi-component interventions may provide optimal disease management.

Social pain and physical pain: shared paths to resilience

Although clinical models have traditionally defined pain by its consequences for the behavior and internal states of the sufferer, recent evidence has highlighted the importance of examining pain in the context of the broader social environment. Neuroscience research has highlighted commonalities of neural pathways connecting the experience of physical and social pain, suggesting a substantial overlap between these phenomena. Further, interpersonal ties, support and aspects of the social environment can impair or promote effective adaptation to chronic pain through changes in pain perception, coping and emotional states. The current paper reviews the role of social factors in extant psychological interventions for chronic pain, and discusses how greater attention to these factors may inform future research and clinical care.

A Mechanism-Based Approach to the Management of Osteoarthritis Pain

Pain from osteoarthritis (OA) affects millions of people worldwide, yet treatments are limited to acetaminophen, NSAIDs, physical therapy, and ultimately, surgery when there is significant disability. In recent years, our understanding of pain pathways in OA has developed considerably. Though joint damage and inflammation play a significant role in pain generation, it is now understood that both central and peripheral nervous system mechanisms exacerbate symptoms. Evolving management strategies for OA address central factors (e.g., sleep difficulties, catastrophizing, and depression) with treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and exercise. In addition, emerging data suggest that antibodies against peripheral signaling neuropeptides, such as nerve growth factor-1 (NGF-1), may significantly alleviate pain. However, concerns regarding potential adverse effects, such as rapidly progressive OA, still remain. A nuanced understanding is essential if we are to make headway in developing more effective treatments for OA.

The role of positive affect in pain and its treatment

OBJECTIVE

This narrative review summarizes and integrates the available literature on positive affect (PA) and pain to: (1) provide a brief overview of PA and summarize the key findings that have emerged in the study of PA and pain; (2) provide a theoretical foundation from which to understand how PA operates in the context of chronic pain (CP); and (3) highlight how the prevailing psychosocial treatments for CP address PA in the therapeutic context, and offer suggestions for how future treatment development research can maximize the benefit of PA for patients with CP.

RESULTS

In experimental studies, the evidence suggests PA is analgesic. In clinical studies, the association of PA and pain is dynamic, time variant, and may be best considered in context of its interacting role with negative affect.

DISCUSSION

We offer an "upward spiral" model of PA, resilience and pain self-management, which makes specific predictions that PA will buffer maladaptive cognitive and affective responses to pain, and promote active engagement in valued goals that enhance CP self-management.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, active placebo-controlled clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

Insomnia is prevalent among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Research indicates that sleep disruption may amplify clinical pain by altering central pain modulation, suggesting that treatment of insomnia may improve pain. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in patients with knee OA, to determine whether improvements in sleep predict reduced pain, and to determine whether alterations in pain modulation mediate improvements in clinical pain.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized, double-blind, active placebo-controlled clinical trial of CBT-I in 100 patients with knee OA and insomnia (mean ± SD age 59.4 ± 9.5 years). Patients were randomized (1:1) to receive either 8 sessions of CBT-I or behavioral desensitization (placebo). We conducted in-home polysomnography (PSG), diary assessment, and sensory tests of pain modulation at baseline, posttreatment, 3 months, and 6 months.

RESULTS

Intent-to-treat analyses demonstrated substantial improvement in sleep in both groups of patients. Patients in the CBT-I group had significantly greater reductions in wake after sleep onset (WASO), as measured by patient diary and PSG. Patients in both groups reported significant and comparable reductions in pain over 6 months, with one-third reporting a 30% reduction in pain severity. Baseline-to-posttreatment reductions in WASO as measured by diary and PSG predicted subsequent decreases in clinical pain. This effect was significantly greater for CBT-I compared with behavioral desensitization. No significant changes in laboratory measures of pain modulation were observed.

CONCLUSION

Compared with active placebo, CBT-I was efficacious in reducing sleep maintenance insomnia. CBT-I decreased clinical pain, but not pain modulation, suggesting that it has the potential to augment pain management in knee OA. Future work is needed to identify the mechanisms by which improved sleep reduces clinical pain.

A more pessimistic life orientation is associated with experimental inducibility of a neuropathy-like pain pattern in healthy individuals

The clinical pattern of neuropathic pain, diagnosed using the quantitative sensory testing (QST) battery (German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain), could be partly mimicked in healthy volunteers after topical capsaicin application. However, similar to clinical neuropathic pain that develops in only a subgroup of patients who have a neurologic lesion, this attempt to mimick a neuropathic pain pattern succeeded only in a small fraction (18%) of healthy individuals. In the present assessment, we pursued the hypothesis that the inducible subgroup differed from the other healthy participants with respect to their psychological phenotype. Therefore, in an observational study, participants were assessed using a comprehensive set of psychological variables comprising general psychological and pain-related cognitive-emotional mechanisms. The sum scores of the questionnaires were significantly linearly correlated with each other. Principal component analysis indicated that a major source of variance (46%) could be attributed to dispositional optimism examined via the Life Orientation Test (LOT). The LOT score significantly differed between the groups of participants, either those in whom a neuropathy-like pattern of pain assessed via QST could be partly (50-60% of the 11 QST parameters) induced (n = 20) or not (n = 90; P = .0375). It emerged again as the main selection criterion in a classification and regression tree predicting a participant's group assignment (inducible neuropathy-like QST pattern versus noninducible neuropathy-like QST pattern) at a cross-validated accuracy of 95.5 ± 2.1%. Thus, the few participants in a random sample of healthy volunteers who, after topical capsaicin application, partly resemble (to a degree of about 60%) the clinical pattern of neuropathic pain in the QST test battery, are preselectable on the basis of psychological factors, with a particular emphasis on pessimistic life attitudes.

PERSPECTIVE

In a small fraction of 18% of healthy volunteers, topical capsaicin application resulted in a neuropathy-like pattern in 50 to 60% of the components of a clinical test battery. These individuals displayed a more pessimistic life attitude as assessed by means of the LOT.

How is the experience of pain measured in older, community-dwelling people with osteoarthritis? A systematic review of the literature

The objective of the study was to perform a systematic review to identify and appraise outcome measures and measures of pain that are used to assess the experience of pain by older people with osteoarthritis, and to assess whether these measures are effective at capturing the multidimensional nature of the experience of this pain. A systematic review of five electronic databases from January 1996 to March 2013 was done. Inclusion criteria were cohort/observational and cross-sectional studies; specific diagnosis of OA; employed outcome measures of pain and/or health and/or quality of life which included questions about pain; and considered older adults. Articles were reviewed for methodological quality using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. A total of 14 publications met the inclusion criteria, and 11 discrete studies were included in the review. The studies used 21 different outcome measures, utilizing 13 measures of pain. Sensory, affective and cognitive dimensions of pain were captured by the measures, albeit studies predominantly measured intensity or severity alone. Measures of pain used in epidemiological studies do not adequately capture the multidimensional nature of the experience of pain in osteoarthritis. There is a fraught complexity in the multidimensionality of the experience of pain in osteoarthritis, and studies exploring osteoarthritis pain in older people should attempt to capture this multidimensionality by employing multiple valid and reliable outcome measures that capture specific dimensions of the pain experience.

Stress-related clinical pain and mood in women with chronic pain: moderating effects of depression and positive mood induction

BACKGROUND

Chronic pain with comorbid depression is characterized by poor mood regulation and stress-related pain.

PURPOSE

This study aims to compare depressed and non-depressed pain patients in mood and pain stress reactivity and recovery, and test whether a post-stress positive mood induction moderates pain recovery.

METHODS

Women with fibromyalgia and/or osteoarthritis (N = 110) underwent interpersonal stress and were then randomly assigned by pain condition and depression status, assessed via the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale, to positive versus neutral mood induction.

RESULTS

Depression did not predict stress-related reactivity in despondency, joviality, or clinical pain. However, depression × mood condition predicted recovery in joviality and clinical pain; depressed women recovered only in the positive mood condition, whereas non-depressed women recovered in both mood conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression does not alter pain and mood stress reactivity, but does impair recovery. Boosting post-stress jovial mood ameliorates pain recovery deficits in depressed patients, a finding relevant to chronic pain interventions.

A Comparison of Fibromyalgia Symptoms in Patients with Healthy versus Depressive, Low and Reactive Affect Balance Styles

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Affect balance reflects relative levels of negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) and includes four styles: Healthy (low NA/high PA), Depressive (high NA/low PA), Reactive (high NA/high PA) and Low (low NA/low PA). These affect balance styles may have important associations with clinical outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia. Herein, we evaluated the severity of core fibromyalgia symptom domains as described by the Outcomes Research in Rheumatology-Fibromyalgia working group in the context of the four affect balance styles.

METHODS

Data from735 patients with fibromyalgia who completed the Brief Pain Inventory, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, Profile of Mood States, Medical Outcomes Sleep Scale, Multiple Ability Self-Report Questionnaire, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire-Revised, Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were included in this analysis.

RESULTS

The majority (51.8%) of patients in our sample had a Depressive affect balance style; compared to patients with a Healthy affect balance style, they scored significantly worse in all fibromyalgia symptom domains including pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, dyscognition, depression, anxiety, stiffness, and functional status (P = <.001 - .004). Overall, patients with a Healthy affect balance style had the lowest level of symptoms, while symptom levels of those with Reactive and Low affect balance styles were distributed in between those of the Depressive and Healthy groups.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The results of our cross-sectional study suggest that having a Healthy affect balance style is associated with better physical and psychological symptom profiles in fibromyalgia. Futures studies evaluating these associations longitudinally could provide rationale for evaluating the effect of psychological interventions on affect balance and clinical outcomes in fibromyalgia.

Pain and depression: an integrative review of neurobiological and psychological factors

The comorbidity of pain and depression has been well established in the literature and is associated with a greater burden to the individual and society than either condition alone. The relationship between pain and depression is quite complex and multiple factors must be considered when trying to disentangle the pain-depression link including shared neurobiology, precipitating environmental factors and cognitive influences. This article aims to provide an overview of the leading neurobiological and psychosocial theories that have advanced our understanding of the link between pain and depression. To this end we describe the shared neurobiological mechanisms in the brain thought to explain the overlap and consider psychological processes and how they inform a cognitive behavioral model. The article also provides an overview of the evidence based treatment for comorbid pain and depression.