Premium
Chronic pain and opioid abuse: Factors associated with health‐related quality of life
Author(s) -
Jones Jermaine D.,
Vogelman Jonathan S.,
Luba Rachel,
Mumtaz Mudassir,
Comer Sandra D.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the american journal on addictions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.997
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-0391
pISSN - 1055-0496
DOI - 10.1111/ajad.12637
Subject(s) - chronic pain , beck depression inventory , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , brief pain inventory , depression (economics) , population , opioid , substance abuse , psychiatry , clinical psychology , anxiety , receptor , nursing , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
Background and Objectives While research on the separate relationships between health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) and chronic pain, and HRQOL and opioid abuse has been sparse, even less work has investigated the factors associated with HRQOL in individuals who have both chronic pain and meet criteria for opioid use disorder. The data presented in this analysis should allow a better understanding the factors important to quality of life among this dual‐diagnosed population. Methods Individuals with dual diagnoses of chronic pain and opioid use disorder were recruited for clinical research studies at Columbia University Medical Center. Participants ( n = 47) completed inventories to assess pain (Brief Pain Inventory), opioid (ab)use, and depression (Beck Depression Inventory). Variable from these and other inventories, along with demographic factors (age, race, sex, pain severity, depressive symptoms, duration of opioid use, route of opioid use, amount of opioid use) were entered into a regression analysis in order to identify the strongest predictors of SF‐36 Health Survey score. Results In the bivariate analysis we found that demographic and drug use variables were rarely associated with HRQOL. Typically, ratings of pain severity and pain interference were the best predictors. In the multivariate analysis, we found that across the several HRQOL dimensions greater Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) ratings of pain “interference” and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores were consistently associated with lower HRQOL. Conclusions and Scientific Significance These data suggest that insufficient pain management and depression are significant variables contributing to lower quality of life among individuals with chronic pain and opioid use disorder. (Am J Addict 2017;26:815–821)