Evaluation of how depression and anxiety mediate the relationship between pain catastrophizing and prescription opioid misuse in a chronic pain population

Objective. We investigated the extent to which anxiety and depression mediate the relationship between pain catastrophizing and the risk of prescription opioid misuse in chronic pain patients. Methods. 215 patients with chronic occupational musculoskeletal disorders completed self-report measures upon admission to a functional restorational program. A bootstrap multivariate regression analysis was conducted to assess how depression and anxiety mediated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and prescription opioid misuse. Results. Catastrophizing, anxiety, and depression predicted higher risk for prescription opioid misuse. Furthermore, anxiety and depression acted as mediators while controlling for the effects of gender and age. Finally, it was found that the effects of catastrophizing on risk for prescription opioid misuse were completely eliminated by those of depression. Conclusion. Due to the partially independent relationship of anxiety and catastrophizing, it is recommended that treatments for chronic pain patients employ techniques addressing both behaviors. The relationship between depression and catastrophizing requires more research since it was observed that their effects were confounded. VC 2015 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved.