Validity and Reliability of the Sickle Cell Self-Efficacy Scale in an Online, Anonymous Sample of Adults Living With Sickle Cell Disease.

The aim of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Sickle Cell Self-efficacy Scale (SCSES) in an anonymous, online cohort of adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). The SCSES was completed by 60 adults with SCD. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted.

Anxiety and Depression in Youth With Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: For youth with chronic pain, anxiety and depression are reported as consequences of experiencing pain and maintaining factors of ongoing pain and disability. However, prevalence estimates of anxiety and depression remain unclear.

Objective: To report the prevalence of clinical anxiety and depression for youth with chronic pain and compare symptoms of anxiety and depression between youth with and without chronic pain.

Genetic contributions to pain modulation in sickle cell: A focus on single nucleotide polymorphisms.

Background: Despite recent advances in our knowledge of genetic contributions to the highly variable sickle cell disease (SCD) phenotype, our understanding of genetic factors associated with pain sensitivity in SCD remains limited. Previous studies investigated specific variants in single candidate genes and their association with SCD pain variability. The primary aim of the current study was to expand the genes and polymorphisms tested to discover new risk genes (polymorphisms) associated with central sensitization for individuals with SCD.

Sleep Disruption Moderates the Daily Dynamics of Affect and Pain in Sickle Cell Disease.

Persons with sickle cell disease (SCD) often experience pain that can interfere with quality of life and daily activities. Pain can modulated by affect and sleep continuity; however, few studies have explored how these factors complementarily influence pain in adults with SCD. The study aims were to investigate 1) whether pain levels were heightened on days characterized by low positive affect and high negative affect, and 2) whether the relationship between affect and pain was intensified following nights of disrupted sleep.

Altered pain processing and sensitization in sickle cell disease: a scoping review of quantitative sensory testing findings.

Objectives: Over 50% of adults living with sickle cell disease (SCD) have chronic pain, but the underlying mechanisms of chronic pain in this population remain unclear. Quantitative sensory testing is an important measurement tool for understanding pain and sensory processing. This scoping review summarizes quantitative sensory testing methodologies used in sickle cell studies and the evidence for central sensitization in this population.

We still cannot breathe: Applying intersectional ecological model to COVID-19 survivorship.

Purpose/objective: Individuals with historically oppressed identities, such as disabled or racialized minorities, face inequities across all societal institutions, including education, criminal justice, and healthcare. Systems of oppression (e.g.

Racism exposure and trauma accumulation perpetuate pain inequities-advocating for change (RESTORATIVE): A conceptual model.

Experiences of racism occur across a continuum from denial of services to more subtle forms of discrimination and exact a significant toll. These multilevel systems of oppression accumulate as chronic stressors that cause psychological injury conceptualized as racism-based traumatic stress (RBTS). RBTS has overlapping symptoms with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the added burden that threats are constantly present.

Illness Intrusiveness in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: The Role of Fatigue.

Chronic illness experiences often interfere with daily functioning (a concept known as illness intrusiveness) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, less is known about the role of specific symptoms in predicting illness intrusiveness in sickle cell disease (SCD). This exploratory study examined associations between common SCD-related symptoms (i.

Determining Profiles of Pain-Specific and General Emotion Regulation Skills and Their Relation to 12-Month Outcomes Among People With Chronic Pain.

Difficulties with pain-specific emotion regulation (ER; eg, pain catastrophizing, pain acceptance) are associated with poor pain outcomes. Less is known about how general ER relates to pain outcomes, or the extent to which pain-specific and general ER interact. In a sample (N = 1,453) of adults with chronic pain, the current study used latent profile analysis to identify subgroups of people with distinct pain-specific and general ER profiles, and determined how subgroup membership at baseline related to pain severity, pain interference, depression and anxiety symptoms at 12-month follow-up.

Depressive and Insomnia Symptoms Sequentially Mediate the Association Between Racism-Based Discrimination in Healthcare Settings and Clinical Pain Among Adults With Sickle Cell Disease.

Racism-based discrimination in healthcare settings has been associated with clinical pain in adults living with sickle cell disease; however, no studies have examined depressive and insomnia symptoms as mechanisms that may drive this relationship. This secondary data analysis examined associations between depressive and insomnia symptoms, racism-based discrimination, and clinical pain. Seventy-one adults with sickle cell disease (70% female, M = 38.

Preliminary Evidence for the Sequentially Mediated Effect of Racism-Related Stress on Pain Sensitivity Through Sleep Disturbance and Corticolimbic Opioid Receptor Function.

Sleep disturbance predicts worse pain outcomes. Because sleep disturbance inequitably impacts Black adults - with racism as the upstream cause - understanding how racism-related stress impacts pain through sleep might help minimize racialized pain inequities. This preliminary study examined sequential mediation of the effect of racism-related stress on experimental pain through sleep disturbance and corticolimbic μOR function in pain-free non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White (NHW) adults.

Survey of internship training in rehabilitation psychology: 2019.

Purpose/objective: The purpose of this study was to obtain information about psychology internship training programs involving work with individuals with disabilities receiving rehabilitation services in the United States and Canada.

Research Method/design: The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) directory was used to identify 426 training programs that listed supervised experience in rehabilitation psychology, and these programs were sent a survey assessing characteristics of their internship. There were 227 program directors who responded (53%), and 114 of them reported that their internship involved working with disabled persons receiving rehabilitation services.

Trajectories and Individual Differences in Pain, Emotional Distress, and Prescription Opioid Misuse During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A One-Year Longitudinal Study.

Recent studies suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic can serve as a unique psychosocial stressor that can negatively impact individuals with chronic pain. Using a large online sample in the U.S.

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Pain-Related Outcomes: Results From a Large, Online Prospective Study.

People with chronic pain engage in various strategies, such as pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance, to regulate the difficult emotional aspects of living with pain. Engagement in these strategies is known to influence pain severity and pain interference. However, less research has examined the extent to which general emotion regulation, the ability to identify emotions and engage in strategies to alter emotions, relates to pain-related outcomes.

Voices on diversity: Making the scientific community more inclusive.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists. In this piece, they discuss ways to make science more inclusive-from key points they wish their colleagues understood to actions those in the scientific community can take. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

Voices on diversity: support systems that work.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists. In this segment, we asked about support systems-the types of support that are most helpful (and less helpful), how to find a supportive network, and how institutions can better support underrepresented scientists. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

Voices on diversity: confronting racial bias.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists. Here, they discuss the impact of racial bias and share strategies for addressing it. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

Voices on diversity: recruiting underrepresented scientists.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists. In this piece, they discuss strategies to recruit underrepresented minority students to universities and careers in science. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

The Early Impact of COVID-19 on Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of a Large Online Sample of Individuals with Chronic Pain in the United States, April to May, 2020.

Objective: Individuals with chronic pain are uniquely challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, as increased stress may exacerbate chronic pain, and there are new barriers to receiving chronic pain treatment. In light of this, using a large online sample in the United States, we examined 1) the early impact of COVID-19 on pain severity, pain interference, and chronic pain management; and 2) variables associated with perceived changes in pain severity and pain interference.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Voices on Diversity: Creating a Sense of Belonging.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists. Here they tell us about behaviors that can lead underrepresented scientists to feel that they do not belong and what the scientific community can do to provide better support. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

Voices on Diversity: Combating Racial Inequality to Increase Diversity.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists in a series of questions and answers. Here, they discuss ways that the scientific community can combat racial inequality and increase diversity. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

Sickle Cell Disease, More Than Just Pain: The Mediating Role of Psychological Symptoms.

Objectives: Perceived stress is associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) pain; however, little is known about psychological mechanisms that may clarify this link among adult patients. This study explored whether anxiety and depression symptoms explained the relation between perceived stress and SCD pain episode frequency among 70 African-American adults (51.4% women, mean age 35.