The Role of Anxiety-Relevant Transdiagnostic Factors in Comorbid Chronic Pain and Tobacco Cigarette Smoking

AbstractDespite the notable prevalence and comorbidity of tobacco cigarette dependence and chronic pain, relatively little is known about potential mechanisms of action. Research has emphasized the utility of identifying core underlying dimensions that reflect shared etiological processes, and it has been posited that anxiety-relevant transdiagnostic factors may be particularly important to understanding pain-smoking comorbidity. This review examined the empirical literature linking pain-related fear (fear of pain and activities that elicit pain), pain-related anxiety (anxious responses to pain), and anxiety sensitivity (degree to which the experience of anxiety is expected to have deleterious consequences) to both chronic pain and tobacco cigarette smoking. We then integrated this literature to inform a conceptual model explicating the function of anxiety-relevant transdiagnostic factors in pain-tobacco smoking comorbidity. Finally, we drew upon this conceptual model to highlight novel clinical implications and inform future research.
Source: Cognitive Therapy and Research - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research