Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Alcohol use severity in relation to pain severity and interference among latinx adults with current pain who smoke cigarettes

  • Published:
Journal of Behavioral Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Limited research has focused expressly on dual tobacco-alcohol use among the Latinx population. Latinx individuals who smoke represent a tobacco health disparities group and evince elevated rates of pain problems and symptoms. Prior research has consistently linked pain problems and severity to smoking and alcohol prevalence, maintenance, and behavior. Accordingly, the current study sought to build from the limited work that exists among Latinx persons who smoke and evaluate the role of alcohol use severity in terms of pain severity and interference. The current sample consisted of 228 adult Latinx daily cigarette smokers (Mage = 34.95 years; SD = 8.58; 39.0% female) who endorsed current pain. Results indicated that elevated alcohol use problems were associated with greater levels of pain severity (R2 = 0.06) and interference (R2 = 0.06). The present findings suggest that there may be utility in clinical screening for alcohol use problems among Latinx persons who smoke to offset pain problems among this high-risk group.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Babb, S., Malarcher, A., Schauer, G., Asman, K., & Jamal, A. (2017). Quitting smoking among adults—United States, 2000–2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65(52), 1457–1464.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Babor, T. F., & Higgins-Biddle, J. C. (2001). Brief Intervention. For Hazardous and Harmful Drinking. A Manual for Use in Primary Care. WHO/PSA.

  • Bandiera, F. C., Pérez-Stable, E. J., Atem, F., Caetano, R., Vidot, D. C., Gellman, M. D., & Schneiderman, N. (2019). At risk alcohol consumption with smoking by national background: Results from the hispanic community health study/study of Latinos. Addictive Behaviors, 99, 106087.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benowitz, N. L. (1999). Nicotine addiction. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, 26(3), 611–631.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bjartveit, K., & Tverdal, A. (2005). Health consequences of smoking 1–4 cigarettes per day. Tobacco control, 14(5), 315–320.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Britton, M., Derrick, J. L., Shepherd, J. M., Haddad, S., Garey, L., Viana, A. G., & Zvolensky, M. J. (2021). Associations between alcohol consumption and smoking variables among Latinx daily smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 113, 106672.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. A., Lejuez, C., Kahler, C. W., & Strong, D. R. (2002). Distress tolerance and duration of past smoking cessation attempts. Journal of abnormal psychology, 111(1), 180.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cabral, J., & Cuevas, A. G. (2020). Health inequities among latinos/hispanics: Documentation status as a determinant of health. Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 7, 874–879.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Castro, Y. (2016). Determinants of smoking and cessation among Latinos: Challenges and implications for research. Social and personality psychology compass, 10(7), 390–404.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Castro, Y., Businelle, M. S., Correa-Fernández, V., Kendzor, D. E., Mazas, C. A., Cofta-Woerpel, L., & Wetter, D. W. (2012). Associations between indicators of acculturation and tobacco dependence among spanish-speaking latino smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 37(10), 1101–1108.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chiauzzi, E., Black, R. A., Frayjo, K., Reznikova, M., Grimes Serrano, J. M., Zacharoff, K., & Wood, M. (2011). Health care provider perceptions of pain treatment in hispanic patients. Pain Practice, 11(3), 267–277.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chopra, K., & Tiwari, V. (2012). Alcoholic neuropathy: Possible mechanisms and future treatment possibilities. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 73(3), 348–362.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cleeland, C. (1991). The brief Pain Inventory user guide. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

  • Cleeland, C., & Ryan, K. (1994). Pain assessment: global use of the Brief Pain Inventory. Annals, academy of medicine, Singapore.

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Academic Press.

  • Cokkinides, V. E., Halpern, M. T., Barbeau, E. M., Ward, E., & Thun, M. J. (2008). Racial and ethnic disparities in smoking-cessation interventions: Analysis of the 2005 National Health interview survey. American journal of preventive medicine, 34(5), 404–412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Correa-Fernández, V., Díaz-Toro, E. C., Reitzel, L. R., Guo, L., Chen, M., Li, Y., & Wetter, D. W. (2017). Combined treatment for at-risk drinking and smoking cessation among puerto ricans: A randomized clinical trial. Addictive Behaviors, 65, 185–192.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, L. S., Feng, S., Canar, J., Ford, M. M., & Tercyak, K. P. (2005). Social and behavioral correlates of cigarette smoking among mid-atlantic latino primary care patients. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 14(8), 1976–1980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ditre, J. W., Brandon, T. H., Zale, E. L., & Meagher, M. M. (2011). Pain, nicotine, and smoking: Research findings and mechanistic considerations. Psychological bulletin, 137(6), 1065.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ditre, J. W., Kosiba, J. D., Zale, E. L., Zvolensky, M. J., & Maisto, S. A. (2016). Chronic pain status, nicotine withdrawal, and expectancies for smoking cessation among lighter smokers. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(3), 427–435.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ditre, J. W., Zale, E. L., & LaRowe, L. R. (2019). A reciprocal model of pain and substance use: Transdiagnostic considerations, clinical implications, and future directions. Annual review of clinical psychology, 15, 503–528.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Falk, D. E., Yi, H., & Hiller-Sturmhöfel, S. (2006). An epidemiologic analysis of co-occurring alcohol and tobacco use and disorders: Findings from the national epidemiologic survey on Alcohol and related conditions. Alcohol Research & Health, 29(3), 162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, C. M., Matsuura, J. T., Smith, C. C., & Stanos, S. P. (2014). Ethnicity and interdisciplinary pain treatment. Pain Practice, 14(6), 532–540.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodwin, R. D., Pagura, J., Spiwak, R., Lemeshow, A. R., & Sareen, J. (2011). Predictors of persistent nicotine dependence among adults in the United States. Drug and alcohol dependence, 118(2–3), 127–133.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Grubert, E., Baker, T. A., McGeever, K., & Shaw, B. A. (2013). The role of pain in understanding racial/ethnic differences in the frequency of physical activity among older adults. Journal of aging and health, 25(3), 405–421.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hardt, J., Jacobsen, C., Goldberg, J., Nickel, R., & Buchwald, D. (2008). Prevalence of chronic pain in a representative sample in the United States. Pain Medicine, 9(7), 803–812.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, C. L., Smith, D., Gruer, G., L., & Watt, G. (2010). The combined effect of smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol on cause-specific mortality: A 30 year cohort study. BMC public health, 10(1), 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heen, M., Lieberman, J. D., & Miethe, T. D. (2014). A comparison of different online sampling approaches for generating national samples. Center for Crime and Justice Policy, 1, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, A., & Sachs-Ericsson, N. (2006). Ethnic differences in pain reports and the moderating role of depression in a community sample of hispanic and caucasian participants with serious health problems. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68(1), 121–128.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins-Biddle, J. C., & Babor, T. F. (2018). A review of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), AUDIT-C, and USAUDIT for screening in the United States: Past issues and future directions. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 44(6), 578–586.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, N. A., Ashburn-Nardo, L., Stewart, J. C., & Hirsh, A. T. (2016). The pain experience of hispanic Americans: A critical literature review and conceptual model. The Journal of Pain, 17(5), 513–528.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Iglesias-Rios, L., & Parascandola, M. (2013). A historical review of RJ Reynolds’ strategies for marketing tobacco to Hispanics in the United States. American journal of public health, 103(5), e15–e27.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jelsness-Jørgensen, L. P., Moum, B., Grimstad, T., Jahnsen, J., Opheim, R., Berset, P., & Huppertz-Hauss, I. (2016). G. Validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the brief pain inventory in inflammatory bowel disease. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2016.

  • Jiang, N., Lee, Y. O., & Ling, P. M. (2014). Young adult social smokers: Their co-use of tobacco and alcohol, tobacco-related attitudes, and quitting efforts. Preventive medicine, 69, 166–171.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • John, U., Hanke, M., Meyer, C., Völzke, H., Baumeister, S. E., & Alte, D. (2006). Tobacco smoking in relation to pain in a national general population survey. Preventive medicine, 43(6), 477–481.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karimi, R., Mallah, N., Nedjat, S., Beasley, M. J., & Takkouche, B. (2022). Association between alcohol consumption and chronic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Anaesthesia.

  • Kim, C. H., Vincent, A., Clauw, D. J., Luedtke, C. A., Thompson, J. M., Schneekloth, T. D., & Oh, T. H. (2013). Association between alcohol consumption and symptom severity and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia. Arthritis research & therapy, 15, 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kristman-Valente, A. N., & Flaherty, B. P. (2016). Latino cigarette smoking patterns by gender in a US-National Sample. Annals Of Behavioral Medicine, 50(1), 34–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-015-9729-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LaRowe, L. R., & Ditre, J. W. (2020). Pain, nicotine, and tobacco smoking: Current state of the science. Pain, 161(8), 1688.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, M. J., Paasche-Orlow, M., Cheng, D. M., Lloyd‐Travaglini, C., Saitz, R., & Samet, J. H. (2007). Persistent pain is associated with substance use after detoxification: A prospective cohort analysis. Addiction, 102(5), 752–760.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lawton, J., & Simpson, J. (2009). Predictors of alcohol use among people experiencing chronic pain. Psychology health & medicine, 14(4), 487–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerch, M. M., Albrecht, E., Ruthenbürger, M., Mayerle, J., Halangk, W., & Krüger, B. (2003). Pathophysiology of alcohol-induced pancreatitis. Pancreas, 27(4), 291–296.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levinson, A. H., Pérez-Stable, E. J., Espinoza, P., Flores, E. T., & Byers, T. E. (2004). Latinos report less use of pharmaceutical aids when trying to quit smoking. American journal of preventive medicine, 26(2), 105–111.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lo, C. C., & Cheng, T. C. (2011). Racial/ethnic differences in access to substance abuse treatment. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 22(2), 621–637.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manuel, J. K., Satre, D. D., Tsoh, J., Moreno-John, G., Ramos, J. S., McCance-Katz, E. F., & Satterfield, J. M. (2015). Adapting screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol and drugs to culturally diverse clinical populations. Journal of addiction medicine, 9(5), 343.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, K. D., Sauer, G., Ortiz, A., Fedewa, A. P., Pinheiro, S. A., Tortolero-Luna, P. S., & Siegel, G., R. L (2018). Cancer statistics for hispanics/latinos, 2018. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 68(6), 425–445.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, B. A., & Caetano, R. (2012). Decomposing Associations between Acculturation and drinking in M exican a mericans. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 36(7), 1205–1211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • National Institute on Acohol Abuse and Alcoholism, N (2020). Drinking Levels Defined. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/moderate-binge-drinking

  • Park, S., Lee, J. Y., Song, T. M., & Cho, S. I. (2012). Age-associated changes in nicotine dependence. Public Health, 126(6), 482–489.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parkerson, H. A., Zvolensky, M. J., & Asmundson, G. J. (2013). Understanding the relationship between smoking and pain. Expert review of neurotherapeutics, 13(12), 1407–1414.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pelucchi, C., Gallus, S., Garavello, W., Bosetti, C., & Vecchia, L., C (2006). Cancer risk associated with alcohol and tobacco use: Focus on upper aero-digestive tract and liver. Alcohol Research & Health, 29(3), 193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piper, M. E., Cook, J. W., Schlam, T. R., Jorenby, D. E., Smith, S. S., Bolt, D. M., & Loh, W. Y. (2010). Gender, race, and education differences in abstinence rates among participants in two randomized smoking cessation trials. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 12(6), 647–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pogun, S., & Yararbas, G. (2009). Sex differences in nicotine action. Nicotine psychopharmacology, 261–291.

  • Rahim-Williams, F. B., Riley, I. I. I., Herrera, J. L., Campbell, D., Hastie, C. M., B. A., & Fillingim, R. B. (2007). Ethnic identity predicts experimental pain sensitivity in African Americans and Hispanics. Pain, 129(1–2), 177–184.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Redmond, B. Y., Salwa, A., Smit, T., Ditre, J. W., Garey, L., & Zvolensky, M. J. (2023). Pain severity and smoking abstinence expectancies among Latinx individuals who smoke cigarettes: The moderating role of Perceived discrimination. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1079.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez-Cano, R., Garey, L., Bakhshaie, J., Shepherd, J. M., & Zvolensky, M. J. (2022). The synergetic effect of alcohol consumption and cigarettes per day on smoking outcomes expectancies among Latinx adult smokers. Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse, 21(3), 975–996.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez-Esquivel, D., Cooper, T. V., Blow, J., & Resor, M. R. (2009). Characteristics associated with smoking in a hispanic sample. Addictive Behaviors, 34(6–7), 593–598.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Saunders, J. B., Aasland, O. G., Babor, T. F., De la Fuente, J. R., & Grant, M. (1993). Development of the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT): WHO collaborative project on early detection of persons with harmful alcohol consumption-II. Addiction, 88(6), 791–804.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, Y., Hooten, W. M., & Warner, D. O. (2011). Effects of smoking cessation on pain in older adults. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 13(10), 919–925.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorndike, A. N., Biener, L., & Rigotti, N. A. (2002). Effect on smoking cessation of switching nicotine replacement therapy to over-the-counter status. American journal of public health, 92(3), 437–442.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Trinidad, D. R., Pérez-Stable, E. J., Emery, S. L., White, M. M., Grana, R. A., & Messer, K. S. (2009). Intermittent and light daily smoking across racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 11(2), 203–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trinidad, D. R., Pérez-Stable, E. J., White, M. M., Emery, S. L., & Messer, K. (2011). A nationwide analysis of US racial/ethnic disparities in smoking behaviors, smoking cessation, and cessation-related factors. American journal of public health, 101(4), 699–706.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Walter, S. L., Seibert, S. E., Goering, D., & O’Boyle, E. H. (2018). A tale of two sample sources: Do results from online panel data and conventional data converge? Journal of Business and Psychology, 1–28.

  • Weinberger, A. H., Platt, J., Esan, H., Galea, S., Erlich, D., & Goodwin, R. D. (2017). Cigarette smoking is associated with increased risk of substance use disorder relapse: A nationally representative, prospective longitudinal investigation. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 78(2), 19746.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West, R. (2007). The clinical significance of’small’effects of smoking cessation treatments.

  • Woolard, R., Liu, J., Parsa, M., Merriman, G., Tarwater, P., Alba, I., & Bernstein, E. (2015). Smoking is associated with increased risk of binge drinking in a young adult hispanic population at the US-Mexico border. Substance Abuse, 36(3), 318–324.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yudko, E., Lozhkina, O., & Fouts, A. (2007). A comprehensive review of the psychometric properties of the drug abuse screening test. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 32(2), 189–198.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zale, E. L., Maisto, S. A., & Ditre, J. W. (2015). Interrelations between pain and alcohol: An integrative review. Clinical psychology review, 37, 57–71.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zale, E. L., Maisto, S. A., De Vita, M. J., Hooten, W. M., & Ditre, J. W. (2021). Increasing cessation motivation and treatment engagement among smokers in pain: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 29(6), 593.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zvolensky, M. J., McMillan, K., Gonzalez, A., & Asmundson, G. J. (2009). Chronic pain and cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence among a representative sample of adults. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 11(12), 1407–1414.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zvolensky, M. J., Bakhshaie, J., Shepherd, J. M., Mayorga, N. A., Giraldo-Santiago, N., Peraza, N., & Berger-Cardoso, J. (2019). Pain intensity and tobacco smoking among Latinx Spanish-speaking adult smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 93, 115–121.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the University of Houston under Award Number U54MD015946. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3695 Cullen Blvd., Room 126, Houston, TX, 77204, USA

    Michael J. Zvolensky, Justin M. Shepherd, Bryce K. Clausen, Tanya Smit & Brooke Y. Redmond

  2. Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

    Michael J. Zvolensky

  3. HEALTH Institute, University of Houston, Houston, USA

    Michael J. Zvolensky

  4. Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

    Joseph W. Ditre

Authors
  1. Michael J. Zvolensky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Justin M. Shepherd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bryce K. Clausen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tanya Smit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Brooke Y. Redmond
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Joseph W. Ditre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Zvolensky.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zvolensky, M.J., Shepherd, J.M., Clausen, B.K. et al. Alcohol use severity in relation to pain severity and interference among latinx adults with current pain who smoke cigarettes. J Behav Med 46, 940–947 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-023-00428-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-023-00428-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation