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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Predictive Processing And Chronic Pain, Lydia Hurst Jun 2024

Predictive Processing And Chronic Pain, Lydia Hurst

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Chronic pain is a common condition in which sufferers experience pain for over 3 months. The causes of chronic pain are often difficult to discern, as many cases are not associated with physical damage. A predictive processing (PP) perspective proposes that chronic pain results from the brain’s erroneous predictions derived from strong emotional and/or fearful reactions to pain. Individuals with anxiety disorders are more likely to react with fear to general stimuli, and therefore may be more likely to develop chronic pain under this model. The current healthcare model for this condition, which focuses on treating symptoms with pain-killers, displays …


Biopsychosocial Management Of Long Covid Fibromyalgia: Lessons From The Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Fibromyalgia Program, Joseph Harrison, Dennis Given Psy.D. Apr 2024

Biopsychosocial Management Of Long Covid Fibromyalgia: Lessons From The Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Fibromyalgia Program, Joseph Harrison, Dennis Given Psy.D.

The Journal of Integrated Primary Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of chronic health concerns worldwide, leading to a new population of patients suffering from Long Covid. Patients with Long Covid often experience persistent symptoms impacting multiple organ systems, including neuroimmune and neurological manifestations. Recently, attention has grown toward Long Covid patients developing chronic widespread pain similar to fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a nociplastic pain disorder characterized by widespread pain and central sensitization with fatigue, sleep disturbances, and impairments in cognitive functioning. Given the nascent and limited research exploring new treatment options, patients need support now from biopsychosocial multi-modal pain management strategies. The Fibromyalgia Program …


Understanding Occupational Injury And Substance Use Issues Among Workers In The Shellfish And Lobster Industries, Tora Johnson, Katherine Weatherford Darling, Debra Kantor, Joseph Spiller, Oliver G. Jones, Lois-Ann Kuntz, Tara Casimir, Amy Dowley, Greyson Kurtz, Lauren Sachs, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy Dec 2023

Understanding Occupational Injury And Substance Use Issues Among Workers In The Shellfish And Lobster Industries, Tora Johnson, Katherine Weatherford Darling, Debra Kantor, Joseph Spiller, Oliver G. Jones, Lois-Ann Kuntz, Tara Casimir, Amy Dowley, Greyson Kurtz, Lauren Sachs, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy

Maine Policy Review

In 2022, American lobster (Homarus americanus) and softshell clam (Mya arenaria) harvests contributed $283 million to Downeast Maine’s economy, employing thousands of harvesters. Harvesting is grueling work. Pain from work-related injuries precedes most opioid deaths, and workers in fisheries are disproportionately at risk. Harvesters are typically self-employed and often uninsured or underinsured, complicating access to care. Prior studies have focused on injury risk or drug use among harvesters without revealing how injury, pain and substance use intertwine with cultural, social and regulatory factors. This study examined the socio-ecologically embedded injury/ pain/ substance use process with surveys of harvesters (n=106) and …


The Relationship Between Chronic Pain And Stress, Anxiety, And Depression In College Students Oct 2022

The Relationship Between Chronic Pain And Stress, Anxiety, And Depression In College Students

Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study was to measure chronic pain levels as they relate to stress, anxiety, and depression in college students. This is a non-experimental, correlational research design, using a survey methodology. Eighty-four participants, over the age of 18, were recruited (men = 33.3%, women = 66.6%) to participate in this study. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire which was a compilation of the Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire (CPGQ) (Von Korff et al., 1992), the Perceived Stress Scale (Wickrama et al., 2013), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) (Beck et al., 1988), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) (Beck …


Knowing What We Know: Leveraging Community Knowledge Through Automated Text-Mining, Justin Gardner, Jonathan Tory Toole, Hemant Kalia, Garry Spink Jr., Gordon Broderick May 2021

Knowing What We Know: Leveraging Community Knowledge Through Automated Text-Mining, Justin Gardner, Jonathan Tory Toole, Hemant Kalia, Garry Spink Jr., Gordon Broderick

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

No abstract provided.


Risk Factors Associated With Opioid Use Among African American Faith-Based Populations, Kelsey Christensen Ma, Jannette Berkley-Patton Phd, Alexandria Bauer Phd, Carole Bowe Thompson, Tacia Burgin Feb 2021

Risk Factors Associated With Opioid Use Among African American Faith-Based Populations, Kelsey Christensen Ma, Jannette Berkley-Patton Phd, Alexandria Bauer Phd, Carole Bowe Thompson, Tacia Burgin

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

African Americans (AAs) in the Midwest are more likely to die from an opioid overdose compared to Whites, despite lower rates of use. Little is known about factors related to opioid use among AAs residing in the Midwest, particularly church-affiliated AAs. AAs have the highest rate of church attendance among all racial/ethnic groups, and the Black Church may be an appropriate setting for prevention efforts. The present study sought to better understand factors related to opioid use among Midwestern church-affiliated AAs to inform future faith-based interventions. This study examined predictors of opioid use (ever) using survey data from Taking It …


Chronic Pain, Vulnerability And Human Spirit While Living Under The Umbrella Of Covid-19, Richard B. Hovey Dr., Delane Linkiewich Ms., Mary Brachaniec Ms. Aug 2020

Chronic Pain, Vulnerability And Human Spirit While Living Under The Umbrella Of Covid-19, Richard B. Hovey Dr., Delane Linkiewich Ms., Mary Brachaniec Ms.

Patient Experience Journal

The purpose of writing this article is to describe what added challenges people like us who are living with chronic pain are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore what this challenging time means to us and how it affects our lives, along with providing insight into our experiences. This is not a research study, but instead an article that shares perspectives from people with lived experience of chronic pain. Our narratives are presented to create an awareness of the plight for people already living with challenging health conditions and how the COVID-19 pandemic has added additional layers of vulnerability. …


Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions Of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Patients With Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Investigation, Nicole A. Hollingshead, Marianne S. Matthias, Matthew Bair, Adam T. Hirsh Oct 2016

Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions Of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Patients With Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Investigation, Nicole A. Hollingshead, Marianne S. Matthias, Matthew Bair, Adam T. Hirsh

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals are at-risk for chronic pain and disparate care. In this qualitative study, we explored providers’ experiences with socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, with a particular focus on providers’: (1) perceptions of socioeconomically disadvantaged patients’ barriers to pain care, (2) attitudes towards this patient population, and (3) chronic pain decisions for these patients. Individual interviews were conducted with twenty-four healthcare providers. Providers discussed several patient-level access barriers, such as not having health insurance, financial constraints, and scheduling difficulties. Providers believed socioeconomically disadvantaged patients were at-risk to misuse prescription opioids and were less comfortable prescribing opioids to these patients. This investigation …


Racial Disparities In Pain Management In Primary Care, Miriam Ezenwa Dec 2012

Racial Disparities In Pain Management In Primary Care, Miriam Ezenwa

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This descriptive, cross-sectional, secondary data analysis was conducted to examine racial disparities in pain management of primary care patients with chronic nonmalignant pain using chronic opioid therapy. Data from 891 patients, including 201 African Americans and 691 Caucasians were used to test an explanatory model for these disparities. We predicted that: (1) African American patients would report worse pain management and poor quality of life (QOL) than Caucasians; (2) the association between race and pain management would be mediated by perceived discrimination relating to hopelessness; and (3) poor pain management would negatively affect QOL. Results revealed significant differences between African …