Psychosocial approaches to pain management: An organizational framework

• Published in: Pain (Amsterdam) Vol. 152; no. 4; pp. 717 - 725
• Main Author: Jensen, Mark P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Elsevier B.V 01-04-2011; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acceptance; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - physiopathology; Chronic pain; Cognitive therapy; Cognitive-behavioral therapy; Environment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Graded exposure in vivo; Humans; Hypnosis; Illness and personality; Illness, stress and coping; Mindfulness; Models, Psychological; Motivation - physiology; Motivational interviewing; Operant treatment; Pain - pathology; Pain - psychology; Pain Management; Psychology; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychotherapy - classification; Psychotherapy - methods; Relaxation; Somesthesis and somesthetic pathways (proprioception, exteroception, nociception); interoception; electrolocation. Sensory receptors; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Motivational interviewing; Relaxation; Cognitive therapy; Acceptance; Operant treatment; Graded exposure in vivo; Psychology; Hypnosis; Cognitive-behavioral therapy; Mindfulness; Chronic pain; Human; Evaluation; Theory; Psychosocial factor; Experience; Pain; Treatment; Models
• ISSN: 0304-3959; 1872-6623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.09.002

Many different psychosocial treatments for pain have been described in the literature. All of these treatments have at least some evidence supporting their efficacy. However, each treatment is based on a theory or model that is most useful only for that particular intervention. An overarching model or framework that includes all of the factors hypothesized to play a role in the effects of these treatments would be useful for (1) understanding the similarities and differences between existing and future psychosocial pain treatments, (2) guiding the psychosocial evaluation of patients with chronic pain, and (3) giving clinicians greater flexibility for including psychosocial interventions that have proven efficacy, but that may not be explained by their preferred (but perhaps limited) model. This article proposes an initial version of such a framework, with the hope that it will increase our understanding of the role that psychosocial factors play in the experience of pain and its negative effects on functioning, and informs future research seeking to identify the common and specific factors associated with psychosocial pain treatments.