Withdrawal catastrophizing scale: initial psychometric properties and implications for the study of opioid use disorder and hyperkatifeia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Discovery of modifiable factors influencing subjective withdrawal experience might advance opioid use disorder (OUD) research and precision treatment. This study explores one factor – withdrawal catastrophizing – a negative cognitive and emotional orientation toward withdrawal characterized by excessive fear, worry or inability to divert attention from withdrawal symptoms. Objectives: We define a novel concept – withdrawal catastrophizing – and present an initial evaluation of the Withdrawal Catastrophizing Scale (WCS). Methods: Prospective observational study (n = 122, 48.7% women). Factor structure (exploratory factor analysis) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) were assessed. Predictive validity was tested via correlation between WCS and next-day subjective opiate withdrawal scale (SOWS) severity. The clinical salience of WCS was evaluated by correlation between WCS and withdrawal-motivated behaviors including risk taking, OUD maintenance, OUD treatment delay, history of leaving the hospital against medical advice and buprenorphine-precipitated withdrawal. Results: WCS was found to have a two-factor structure (distortion and despair), strong internal consistency (α = .901), and predictive validity – Greater withdrawal catastrophizing was associated with next-day SOWS (rs (99) = 0.237, p = .017). Withdrawal catastrophizing was also correlated with risk-taking behavior to relieve withdrawal (rs (119) = 0.357, p < .001); withdrawal-motivated OUD treatment avoidance (rs (119) = 0.421, p < .001), history of leaving the hospital against medical advice (rs (119) = 0.373, p < .001) and buprenorphine-precipitated withdrawal (rs (119) = 0.369, p < .001). Conclusion: This study provides first evidence of withdrawal catastrophizing as a clinically important phenomenon with implications for the future study and treatment of OUD.