The Importance of Psychosocial Influences On Chronic Pain

Abstract

SUMMARY Recent experimental and clinical studies into the nature of chronic pain and its development have highlighted the importance of psychosocial factors on the perception of pain and response to it. There have been advances in the understanding of not only the biological substrate, but also the nature and influence of specific psychological and social factors in particular. A range of new explanatory models have stimulated new approaches to treatment directed not only at the reduction of pain and its impact, but also at the identification of early indicators or risk factors for the development of chronicity. The purpose of this paper is to attempt a summary and integration of these diverse research findings and identify the next set of research challenges that might serve as a basis for more clearly focused and targeted approaches to multifaceted pain management and perhaps contribute to reduction in the burden of chronic pain.

Acknowledgements

CJ Main owes a considerable debt to M Hasenbring, A Rusu and D Turk; and to H Flor and D Turk, for their excellent textbooks (2012 and 2011, respectively), to both of which CJ Main has made frequent reference. Thank you also to L Goubert and M Lumley for generous assistance. However, the author takes full responsibility for any inadvertent inaccuracies or misinterpretations.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre (grant numbers 18139 and 20202) and Arthritis Research UK who funded the STarTBack study (grant code 17741). The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre (grant numbers 18139 and 20202) and Arthritis Research UK who funded the STarTBack study (grant code 17741). The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.