The following is a summary of “Social support and the association between post-traumatic stress disorder and risk for long-term prescription opioid use,” published in the June 2024 issue of Pain by Sullivan et al.
Patients with chronic pain often have Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which worsens pain, increases opioid use, and reduces treatment effectiveness, while social support helps manage both conditions.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating if emotional support weakens the link between PTSD and continued opioid use among patients with chronic pain on opioid medication.
They enrolled participants aged 18 years or older who had finished a fresh 30 to the 90-day prescription opioid regimen. Connections between cohort traits and each primary variable were examined through χ2 tests for categories and t-tests for continuous values. The interaction between PTSD and emotional support was evaluated by stratifying participants into low and high-emotional support groups.
The results showed that the participants (n = 808) had a mean age of 53.6 years (SD ± 11.6), with 69.8% being female, 69.6% White, and 26.4% African American. About 17.2% showed signs of probable PTSD. High emotional support was significantly (P<0.0001) more prevalent among those without probable PTSD. At the 6-month follow-up, prescription opioid use was significantly (P=0.0368) higher among patients with probable PTSD. However, in fully adjusted models, PTSD wasn’t linked to opioid use at the 6-month follow-up for participants with high emotional support. Along with lower emotional support, PTSD was significantly associated with opioid use at the 6-month follow-up in both unadjusted (OR = 2.40; 95% CI: 1.24-4.64) and adjusted models (OR = 2.39; 95% CI: 1.14-4.99).
Investigators concluded past analyses support the idea that enhancing emotional support for vulnerable patients with chronic pain having PTSD could lead to decreased long-term opioid use.
Source: journals.lww.com/pain/abstract/9900/social_support_and_the_association_between.617.aspx
