The "future" pain clinician: Competencies needed to provide psychologically informed care.

Background & Objective: Psychologically informed care has been proposed to improve treatment outcomes for chronic pain and aligns with a person-centered approach. Yet implementation lags behind, and studies suggest that a lack of competency leads to poor results. It is unclear what training clinicians require to deliver this care.

Sexual communication patterns in couples with vulvodynia-a case-control behavioral observation study.

Background: Sexual communication is a common target in psychological treatments for vulvodynia, and associations with sexual function and distress, as well as pain intensity, have been demonstrated. However, structured observations of the communication patterns of couples with vulvodynia are lacking, as these are needed to guide treatment efforts.

Aim: To explore (1) the sexual communication patterns in couples with vulvodynia in terms of observed communication quality (operationalized as validating and invalidating responses), self-reported sexual assertiveness, and self-disclosure and (2) associations between sexual communication quality and pain intensity.

The Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire-Short Form and 2-year follow-up of registered work disability.

Background: The Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ) was developed to identify psychological and functioning-related risk factors among individuals with musculoskeletal pain at risk of work disability. This study aimed to examine whether the short version of the ÖMPSQ (ÖMPSQ-SF) can be used for this purpose, using registry-based outcomes.

Methods: The ÖMPSQ-SF was completed by the members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 at the age of 46 years (baseline).

Internet-delivered psychological treatment as an add-on to treatment as usual for common mental disorders: A systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background: Psychological treatments for common mental disorders are increasingly being delivered remotely via the internet. Evidence suggests that internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) is superior to waitlist. However, the benefits are unclear of using this treatment modality as an add-on to treatment as usual (TAU) in regular healthcare.

Preventing Pain and Stress-Related Ill-Health in Employees: A 6-Months Follow-Up of a Psychosocial Program in a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose Pain and stress-related ill-health are major causes of long-term disability and sick leave. This study evaluated the effects of a brief psychosocial program, which previously has been tested for an at-risk population of employees. Methods The Effective Communication within the Organization (ECO) program, where supervisors and employees were trained in communication and problem solving, was compared to an active control consisting of psychoeducative lectures (PE) about pain and stress in a cluster randomized controlled trial.

An initial proof of concept: A replicated single-case study of a CBT group treatment with partner involvement for vulvodynia.

Vulvodynia is common and has an immense impact on affected women and their partners. Psychological factors have been found to contribute to pain maintenance and exacerbation, and treatments addressing psychological factors have yielded positive results. This study employed a replicated single-case experimental design to examine a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) group treatment with partner involvement in vulvodynia.

Male pelvic pain: the role of psychological factors and sexual dysfunction in a young sample.

Objectives: Male pelvic pain is a common yet poorly understood condition, strongly influencing quality of life of those affected. Research on psychological and sexual factors is lacking, specifically on younger men in family-forming ages. This study aims to explore psychological and sexual factors related to pelvic pain in younger men (<40 years) through a cross-sectional design.

Management of chronic low back pain and the impact on patients' personal and professional lives: Results from an international patient survey.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of chronic low back pain (CLBP) on patients' personal and professional lives, and management strategies applied to treat CLBP.

Methods: A 60-question survey was developed, and respondents from 16 countries with a self-reported physician's diagnosis of CLBP were recruited via an online market research survey panel. Respondents were stratified as having mild, moderate, or severe pain.

From Fear to Safety: A Roadmap to Recovery From Musculoskeletal Pain.

Contemporary conceptualizations of pain emphasize its protective function. The meaning assigned to pain drives cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses. When pain is threatening and a person lacks control over their pain experience, it can become distressing, self-perpetuating, and disabling.

Sleep problems in pain patients entering tertiary pain care: the role of pain-related anxiety, medication use, self-reported diseases, and sleep disorders.

Chronic pain and sleep problems frequently co-occur. Pain itself disturbs sleep, but other factors may also contribute to sleep problems in pain patients. This cross-sectional study of 473 patients (69.

Training of Physical Therapists to Deliver Individualized Biopsychosocial Interventions to Treat Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Current guidelines recommend management of musculoskeletal pain conditions from a biopsychosocial approach; however, biopsychosocial interventions delivered by physical therapists vary considerably in effectiveness. It is unknown whether the differences are explained by the intervention itself, the training and/or competency of physical therapists delivering the intervention, or fidelity of the intervention. The aim was to investigate and map the training, competency assessments, and fidelity checking of individualized biopsychosocial interventions delivered by physical therapists to treat musculoskeletal pain conditions.

The Predictive Ability of the Full and Short Versions of the Orebro Questionnaire for Absenteeism and Presenteeism Over the Subsequent 12 Months, in a Cohort of Young Community-Based Adult Workers.

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive ability of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ) in regard to work productivity (absenteeism and presenteeism) in early adulthood.

Methods: A prospective study was performed using data from the Raine Study Generation 2 (Gen2) 22-year follow-up. The ÖMPSQ was completed at baseline, and absenteeism and presenteeism assessed at four intervals over the following 12 months.

Evaluation of training in guideline-oriented biopsychosocial management of low back pain in occupational health services: Protocol of a cluster randomized trial.

Background: To prevent low back pain (LBP) from developing into a prolonged disabling condition, clinical guidelines advocate early stage assessment, risk-screening, and tailored interventions. Occupational health services recommend guideline-oriented biopsychosocial screening and individualized assessment and management. However, it is not known whether training a limited number of health care professionals improves the management process.

What Works? Processes of Change in a Transdiagnostic Exposure Treatment for Patients With Chronic Pain and Emotional Problems.

Objectives: We recently developed a transdiagnostic exposure treatment (the hybrid treatment) for chronic pain patients with concurrent emotional difficulties. This paper investigates the hypothesized treatment processes, specifically: (1) if changes on pain-related dysregulation (catastrophizing, fear-avoidance, and nonacceptance of pain) and general emotion dysregulation (difficulties to regulate a broad spectrum of emotional responses) mediate effects on outcomes; and (2) if mediation is more pronounced for patients who score higher on these processes pretreatment.

Materials And Methods: Structural equation modeling for longitudinal data using the full intention-to-treat sample was used to test whether proposed variables mediated the effect of the hybrid treatment (n=58) compared with a guided internet-delivered pain management treatment based on cognitive-behavioral principles (n=57) on pain interference and depressive symptoms at the 9-month follow-up.

Insomnia is a risk factor for spreading of chronic pain: A Swedish longitudinal population study (SwePain).

Background: Recent evidence suggests that insomnia negatively influences the occurrence of generalized pain. This study examined whether insomnia is a risk factor for the transition from local pain (LP) to generalized pain (i.e.

An adventurous learning journey. Physiotherapists' conceptions of learning and integrating cognitive functional therapy into clinical practice.

: Recent low back pain guidelines recommend a BPS approach to the management of disabling low back pain. However, the most effective way of teaching physiotherapists to implement these approaches remains unknown. The present qualitative study aimed to explore physiotherapists' conceptions of learning and integrating Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) into clinical practice in Finnish primary health care.

Association of STarT Back Tool and the short form of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire with multidimensional risk factors.

The Short form of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ-short) and the STarT Back Tool (SBT) have been developed to screen for risk factors for future low back pain (LBP) -related disability and work loss respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the accordance of the two questionnaires and to evaluate the accumulation of risk factors in the risk groups of both screening tools in a large population-based sample. The study population consisted of 3079 participants of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 who had reported LBP over the previous 12 months and had SBT and ÖMPSQ-short data.

Psychological Subgrouping to Assess the Risk for the Development or Maintenance of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Is This the Way Forward?

Background: Because musculoskeletal pain problems are so prevalent, new methods of evaluating and treating patients are needed to increase effectiveness. Subgrouping is a method wherein patients are classified into defined groups on the basis of psychosocial factors with the expectation of more specific and tailored treatments can be prescribed for them. For those seeking care for a new episode, the risk of developing chronic pain-related disability is assessed, whereas, for those with existing pain, the risk for the maintenance of the chronic pain problem is evaluated.

Preventing sleep deficit in adolescents: Long-term effects of a quasi-experimental school-based intervention study.

Adolescents are at risk of sleep deficit, which has serious consequences for their daytime functioning. However, school-based interventions to improve sleep have shown limited success. This might be due to the content of the programmes (e.

Pain interference type and level guide the assessment process in chronic pain: Categorizing pain patients entering tertiary pain treatment with the Brief Pain Inventory.

Chronic pain patients enter treatment with different problem profiles making careful assessment a necessity for more individualized treatment plans. In this cross-sectional study we assigned 320 patients entering tertiary multidisciplinary pain treatment into four categories based on whether they scored low or high on the activity and the affective pain interference dimensions of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). To determine whether this categorization system delineates issues that should be assessed further, the categories were compared with ANOVA and MANOVA analyses on three domains: variables affecting physical well-being (body mass index, exercise, substance use), psychological resources (mood), and pain-specific psychological factors (pain anxiety, pain acceptance).

Efficacy of a transdiagnostic emotion-focused exposure treatment for chronic pain patients with comorbid anxiety and depression: a randomized controlled trial.

The comorbidity between chronic pain and emotional problems has proven difficult to address with current treatment options. This study addresses the efficacy of a transdiagnostic emotion-focused exposure treatment ("hybrid") for chronic pain patients with comorbid emotional problems. Adults (n = 115) with chronic musculoskeletal pain and functional and emotional problems were included in a 2-centre, parallel randomized controlled, open-label trial comparing this treatment to an active control condition receiving a guided Internet-delivered pain management treatment based on CBT principles (iCBT).