Do Chronic Pain Patients Wish Spiritual Aspects to Be Integrated in Their Medical Treatment? A Cross-Sectional Study of Multiple Facilities

Background: Chronic pain is a complex, multidimensional experience. Spirituality is hypothesized to impact pain experience in various ways. Nevertheless, the role that spirituality plays in multimodal pain therapy remains controversial and, to date, quantitative data on whether and for which patients spiritual aspects should be considered in the treatment of chronic pain is lacking. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the proportion and characteristics of patients with chronic pain who wish spiritual aspects to be integrated in their treatment.Methods: Two hundred nine patients with chronic pain were recruited from five inpatient departments and outpatient clinics in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Patients filled out validated questionnaires, such as the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Resilience Scale (RS-11), the Spiritual and Religious Attitudes in Dealing with Illness (SpREUK), and the 12-item Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12).Results: More than 60% (CI95%: 55.5–67.9%) of the patients wanted to address spiritual aspects in their treatment. These patients were significantly younger, had higher levels of education, and suffered from more frequent and more severe pain than patients who did not wish to address spiritual aspects. Furthermore, there were high correlations with existing spiritual resources and higher scores of spirituality.Conclusions: These results confirm that the majority of chronic pain patients wish spiritual aspects to be considered in their treatment. Additionally, the finding that these patients had more spiritual resources underlines the importance of integrating spiritual aspects in a resource-oriented, patient-centered care approach for this condition.

Download Full-text

Prevalence and Characteristics of Chronic Pain in Buprenorphine and Methadone-Maintained Patients

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.641430 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica Delorme ◽

Lucie Pennel ◽

Georges Brousse ◽

Jean-Pierre Daulouède ◽

Jean-Michel Delile ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Opioid Analgesics ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Opioid Agonist ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

Associated Risk Factors ◽

Pain Patients

Chronic pain and substance use disorders frequently co-occur. Indeed, chronic pain is highly prevalent, affecting 23–68% of patients receiving opioid agonist treatments (OAT) worldwide. The majority of available estimates come from American studies, but data are still lacking in Europe. We aim to provide European estimates of the prevalence of chronic pain in patients receiving OAT using French data, since France is the first European country in terms of number of patients with OAT. The secondary objectives were to characterize the features and management of chronic pain, as well identify associated risk factors. We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study, recruiting patients treated either with buprenorphine or methadone in 19 French addiction centers, from May to July 2016. All participants had to complete a semi-directed questionnaire that collected sociodemographic and medical data, pain characteristics, and licit or illicit drug consumption. In total, 509 patients were included. The prevalence of chronic pain was estimated at 33.2% (95% CI: 29.1–37.3). Compared to non-chronic pain patients, chronic pain patients were older (38.4 vs. 36.1 years, p = 0.006), were more unemployed (66 vs. 52%, p = 0.003), had more psychiatric comorbidities (50 vs. 39%, p = 0.02), and split their OAT for pain management more frequently (24 vs. 7%, p = 0.009). Pain intensity was moderate or severe in 75% of chronic pain patients. Among patients with chronic pain, 15.4% were not prescribed, and did not self-medicate with, any analgesic drugs, 52.1% were prescribed analgesics (non-opioid analgesics, 76.3%; codeine, tramadol, opium, 27.2%; and morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, 11.8%), and 32.5% exclusively self-medicated with analgesics. Moreover, 20.1% of patients with chronic pain also used illicit drugs for pain relief. On multivariate analysis, variables that remained significantly associated with chronic pain were age [OR = 1.03 (95% CI: 1.00–1.05], p = 0.02], anxiety [OR = 1.52 (1.15–2.02), p = 0.003], and depression [OR = 1.25 (1.00–1.55), p = 0.05]. Chronic pain is a highly prevalent condition in patients receiving OAT, and its appropriate management remains uncertain, since insufficient relief and frequent additional self-medications with analgesics or illicit drugs were reported by these patients. Increased awareness among caregivers is urgently needed regarding a systematic and careful assessment, along with an adequate management of chronic pain in patients receiving OAT.

Download Full-text

Accuracy of Diagnostic Criteria for Myofascial Trigger Points – A Prospective Cross-sectional Study in Chronic Pain Patients

Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies ◽

10.1016/j.jams.2018.08.194 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 260

Author(s):

K. Hupe ◽

P. Baeumler ◽

D. Irnich

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Diagnostic Criteria ◽

Trigger Points ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Myofascial Trigger Points ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

Pain Patients

Download Full-text

Understanding the Relationship Between Spiritual Well-Being and Depression in Chronic Pain Patients: The Mediating Role of Pain Catastrophizing

Pain Management Nursing ◽

10.1016/j.pmn.2018.12.001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 358-364 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maryam Shaygan ◽

Laila Shayegan

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Catastrophizing ◽

Well Being ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

Spiritual Well Being ◽

The Relationship ◽

Pain Patients

Download Full-text

Cross-sectional study of psychosocial and pain-related variables among chronic pain patients during a time of social distancing imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

Pain ◽

10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002128 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽

Author(s):

Valerie Hruschak ◽

K. Mikayla Flowers ◽

Desiree R. Azizoddin ◽

Robert N. Jamison ◽

Robert R. Edwards ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

Pain Patients

Download Full-text

Depression Among Chronic Pain Patients

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.1262 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S708-S708 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I. Berrahal ◽

B. Ayadi ◽

M. Haddad

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Management ◽

Management Plan ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Poor Quality ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Therapies ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

Pain Patients

IntroductionPatients with chronic pain are more likely to develop depression, which is associated with decreased function, poorer treatment response and poor quality of life.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression in patients with chronic pain.MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among clinically diagnosed chronic pain patients from the pain management ward of La Rabta hospital in Tunisia over a period of six months.Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained from patients’ interviews and medical records.The Beck depression inventory (BDI) was used for screening depression diagnoses and the Visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess the severity of pain.ResultsThe sample included 102 patients with a mean age of 46.4 ± 10.4 years. The majority of the patients were females (72.5%, n = 74), married (83.3%, n = 85) and being employed (58.8%, n = 60). The prevalence of depression was (40.1%, n = 41). The mean duration of pain was 3.6 ± 1.5 years. The severity of pain was mild in 28 cases (19.3%), moderate in 36 cases (31.3%) and severe in 38 cases (49.4%). Depression was significantly associated with the duration of pain (P < 0.01). A positive correlation was observed between pain severity assessed by VAS and BDI (r = 0.521, P = 001). Depression was significantly associated with the duration of pain (P < 0.01).ConclusionsDepression is frequent in patients who suffer from chronic pain and it was significantly associated with the duration and the severity of pain. Antidepressants and psychological therapies can be effective and should be delivered as part of a multidisciplinary pain management plan.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Download Full-text

Medical cannabis and insomnia in older adults with chronic pain: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care ◽

10.1136/bmjspcare-2019-001938 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 415-420

Author(s):

Sharon R Sznitman ◽

Simon Vulfsons ◽

David Meiri ◽

Galit Weinstein

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Medical Cannabis ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Falling Asleep ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

Waking Up ◽

Pain Symptoms ◽

Pain Patients

ObjectivesMedical cannabis (MC) is increasingly being used for treatment of chronic pain symptoms. Among patients there is also a growing preference for the use of MC to manage sleep problems. The aim of the current study was to examine the associations between use of whole plant cannabis and sleep problems among chronic pain patients.MethodsA total of 128 individuals with chronic pain over the age of 50 years were recruited from the Rambam Institute for Pain Medicine in Haifa, Israel. Of them, 66 were MC users and 62 were non-users. Regression models tested the differences in sleep problems between the two groups. Furthermore, Pearson correlations between MC use measures (dose, length and frequency of use, number of strains used, tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol levels) and sleep problems were assessed among MC users.ResultsAfter adjustment for age, sex, pain level and use of sleep and anti-depressant medications, MC use was associated with less problems with waking up at night compared with non-MC use. No group differences were found for problems with falling asleep or waking up early without managing to fall back asleep. Frequent MC use was associated with more problems waking up at night and falling asleep.ConclusionsMC use may have an overall positive effect on maintaining sleep throughout the night in chronic pain patients. At the same time, tolerance towards potential sleep-inducing properties of MC may occur with frequent use. More research based on randomised control trials and other longitudinal designs is warranted.

Download Full-text