The Clinical journal of pain
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Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in youth have been found to be frequently associated with several chronic illnesses, including chronic pain. However, this relationship remains poorly understood. Previous research has examined the association between ACEs and chronic pain, but these have primarily been examined in the context of adults with limited assessment of ACEs and individual pain conditions. The primary objectives of this study were to examine the incidence and psychological/pain-related correlates of ACEs in a sample of youth with chronic pain. Exploratory analyses were also examined using primary pain diagnosis and number of pain locations. ⋯ ACEs exposure in youth with chronic pain occurs frequently and can be associated with increased psychosocial but not functional impairment. Future research is needed to further examine the relationship between ACEs and chronic pain in youth in a prospective manner.
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Investigations have shown that expectancies are significant prognostic indicators of recovery outcomes following whiplash injury. However, little is currently known about the determinants of recovery expectancies following whiplash injury. The purpose of the present study was to examine the cross-sectional and prospective correlates of recovery expectancies in individuals admitted to a rehabilitation program for whiplash injury. ⋯ The discussion addresses the processes linking pain-related psychosocial factors to recovery expectancies and makes recommendations for interventions that might be effective in increasing recovery expectancies.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized Controlled Trial of Telephone-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy versus Supportive Care for Chronic Back Pain.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a telephone-delivered, home-based cognitive-behavioral intervention for chronic low back pain in comparison to a matched supportive care (SC) treatment. ⋯ Results from this clinical trial suggest that home-based, telephone-delivered CBT and SC treatments did not significantly differ in their benefits for back pain severity and disability, and may warrant further research for applications to hospital settings. Major limitations included recruitment difficulties that underpowered primary analyses, the lack of objective improvement measures, and the absence of a usual care/untreated control group for comparisons.
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Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent in chronic pain, and associated with increased pain, hyperalgesia, and psychological distress. This study aimed to investigate antinociceptive and pronociceptive pain mechanisms, pain intensity, and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and fear of movement) in patients with accident-related chronic spinal pain with (N=44) and without (N=64) comorbid PTSD characteristics. ⋯ The association between PTSD and pain intensity is in accordance with the mutual-maintenance and fear-avoidance models. Future studies should investigate changes in pain intensity and mechanisms after treatment targeting comorbid PTSD in chronic pain patients.