Chronic pain acceptance: Relations to opioid misuse and pain management motives among individuals with chronic low back pain

• Published in: Addictive behaviors 2023-01, Vol.136, p.107495-107495, Article 107495
• Main Authors: Smit, Tanya, Mayorga, Nubia A., Rogers, Andrew H., Nizio, Pamella, Zvolensky, Michael J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceptance; Adult; Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use; Chronic low back pain; Chronic pain; Chronic Pain - drug therapy; Chronic Pain - psychology; Female; Humans; Low Back Pain - drug therapy; Male; Motivation; Opioid use motives; Opioid-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Opioids; Pain Management; Prescription Drug Misuse - psychology
• ISSN: 0306-4603; 1873-6327
• DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107495

•Higher chronic pain acceptance was related to lower levels of opioid misuse.•Higher chronic pain acceptance was related to lower motivation to use opioids to cope with pain.•Chronic pain acceptance did not predict motivation to use opioids to cope with emotional distress.•Results may help inform the development of opioid misuse prevention and intervention effort. The opioid epidemic is a significant public health concern, and opioid consumption rates and opioid-related deaths are on the rise. Chronic pain acceptance, or willingness to experience pain and pain-related distress, is one pain-related psychological mechanism that may reduce maladaptive attempts to avoid or control pain using opioids among individuals with chronic lower back pain (CLBP). However, little work has examined chronic pain acceptance as it relates to opioid use and motives for use among adults with CLBP. The current investigation sought to explore the effects of chronic pain acceptance on opioid misuse and motives for opioid use (i.e., pain management and coping motives) among adults with CLBP. Participants were 291 adults (69.1 % female, Mage = 45.77 years, SD = 11.22) self-reporting current mild to severe CLBP and current opioid use who were recruited via an online survey. Results indicated that higher acceptance of pain was related to lower levels of opioid misuse and lower motivation to use opioids to cope with pain. Contrary to hypotheses, chronic pain acceptance did not predict motivation to use opioids to cope with emotional distress (i.e., coping motives). The current findings provide support for chronic pain acceptance as a potential protective mechanism in terms of opioid misuse and motivation to use opioids to manage pain.