(332) The Association between Mindfulness, Pain Catastrophizing, and Opioid Misuse

Abstract

Prescription opioid misuse in the USA has become a serious public health concern and has contributed to an opioid crisis. However, how psychosocial factors are associated to opioid misuse remains unclear. In this study we assessed the association between pain catastrophizing and opioid misuse and examined whether mindfulness mediated this association. In this cross-sectional study, participants (291 chronic low back pain (CLBP) completed self-report measures of mindfulness (MAAS), pain (BPI) and opioid misuse (COMM). Pearson's correlations examined the associations between study variables in CLBP patients and controls. Bootstrapping mediation analyses assessed the mediating role of mindfulness on the association between pain catastrophizing and opioid misuse. Pain catastrophizing was significantly associated with mindfulness (r = -.02) and opioid misuse (r = .22) in CLBP patients. Results of mediation analyses revealed that pain catastrophizing mediated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and opioid misuse in CLBP patients (ab = .28, 95% CI = .21 - .35). The findings from this study suggest that mindfulness may be the mechanism by which pain catastrophizing can lead to opioid misuse in CLBP patients prescribed opioids.