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Biopsychosocial factors associated with pain in veterans with the hepatitis C virus

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Abstract

Little research has examined etiological factors associated with pain in patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between biopsychosocial factors and pain among patients with HCV. Patients with HCV and pain (n = 119) completed self-report measures of pain, mental health functioning, pain-specific psychosocial variables (pain catastrophizing, self-efficacy for managing pain, social support), prescription opioid use, and demographic characteristics. In multivariate models, biopsychosocial factors accounted for 37 % of the variance in pain severity and 56 % of the variance in pain interference. In adjusted models, factors associated with pain severity include pain catastrophizing and social support, whereas variables associated with pain interference were age, pain intensity, prescription opioid use, and chronic pain self-efficacy (all p values <0.05). The results provide empirical support for incorporating the biopsychosocial model in evaluating and treating chronic pain in patients with HCV.

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Acknowledgments

Research reported in this manuscript was supported by grant K23DA023467 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health. The work was also supported with resources and the use of facilities at the Portland VA Medical Center. No author reports having any potential conflict of interest with this study. The authors appreciate the assistance of Lynsey Lewis, Susan Gritzner, and Renee Cavanagh with data collection, and Jonathan Duckart, MPS, for extracting data from the electronic medical record. We are also thankful for collaborations with Dr. G. Alan Marlatt, who assisted in the initial planning of this study. The content of this manuscript is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences Division, Portland VA Medical Center (R&D99), 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Road, Portland, OR, 97239, USA

    Benjamin J. Morasco, Travis I. Lovejoy, Aysha Crain & Steven K. Dobscha

  2. Center for the Study of Chronic, Comorbid Medical and Psychiatric Disorders, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR, USA

    Benjamin J. Morasco, Travis I. Lovejoy & Steven K. Dobscha

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Benjamin J. Morasco, Travis I. Lovejoy & Steven K. Dobscha

  4. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and Center for Pain Research on Impact, Measurement and Effectiveness, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Dennis C. Turk

  5. VISN 22 Network Office, Long Beach, CA, USA

    Peter Hauser

  6. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Peter Hauser

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  1. Benjamin J. Morasco
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  2. Travis I. Lovejoy
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Correspondence to Benjamin J. Morasco.

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Morasco, B.J., Lovejoy, T.I., Turk, D.C. et al. Biopsychosocial factors associated with pain in veterans with the hepatitis C virus. J Behav Med 37, 902–911 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-013-9549-y

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