Objective: To explore how demographics, pain, psychosocial factors and insomnia relate to the spread of chronic pain. Methods: The study included 708 patients (68% women; median age 46 years; interquartile range 3557 years) with chronic pain who were referred to a multidisciplinary pain centre. Spreading of pain was assessed using a questionnaire covering 36 anatomically predefined pain regions. Data were collected on demographics, pain symptoms, psychological distress, and insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index). Four sub-categories of chronic pain were established: chronic local pain, chronic regional pain medium, chronic regional pain heavy, and chronic widespread pain. Results: The median number of pain regions was 10 (interquartile range 6-18). Prevalence of chronic pain was as follows: chronic local pain 9%, chronic regional pain medium 21%, chronic regional pain heavy 39%, and chronic widespread pain 31%. In the regression models, being a woman and persistent pain duration had the strongest associations with spreading of pain, but anxiety, pain interference, and insomnia were also important factors. Conclusion: Spreading of chronic pain can only partly be explained by the simultaneous levels of insomnia. Female sex, pain duration, pain interference and anxiety appear to have more significant relationships with the spread of pain. Targeting these factors may lead to improvements in treatment and prevention strategies.
Purpose: This study investigates the prevalence of insomnia and its relationship to other symptoms and health aspects in patients with chronic pain. Methods: Patients with chronic pain conditions (n = 845) referred to a multidisciplinary pain centre completed surveys provided by the Swedish quality registry for pain rehabilitation (SQRP). The SQRP collects data on socio-demographics, health status, symptoms of pain, mood and insomnia and life satisfaction. Results: The majority of patients (65.3%) had clinical insomnia according to the insomnia severity index (ISI). Insomnia correlated significantly but weakly with pain, depression, anxiety and coping; the strongest multivariate correlations were found with depression and anxiety followed by pain interference and pain severity. Pain intensity, depression and anxiety correlated stronger than ISI with respect to the two investigated aspects of health. Conclusions: The prevalence of insomnia is high in patients with chronic pain conditions, but the level of importance in relation to other symptoms for health aspects is low, and the associations with other important symptoms are relatively weak. One way to increase the effects of multimodal rehabilitation programs may be to provide interventions directed specifically at insomnia rather than focusing only on interventions that address pain, depression and anxiety. Implications for Rehabilitation The prevalence of insomnia is high in patients with complex chronic pain conditions. Relatively low correlations existed between insomnia and pain intensity, depression, anxiety and other psychological aspects. Pain intensity, anxiety and depression were more important for perceived health aspects than insomnia. One way to increase the effects of multimodal rehabilitation programs may be to also include interventions directed directly to insomnia.
The aim of this study was to compare guided Internet-delivered to group-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia. We conducted an 8-week randomized controlled non-inferiority trial with 6-months follow-up. Participants were forty-eight adults with insomnia, recruited via media. Interventions were guided Internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) and group-delivered CBT (GCBT) for insomnia. Primary outcome measure was the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), secondary outcome measures were sleep diary data, depressive symptoms, response- and remission rates. Both treatment groups showed significant improvements and large effect sizes for ISI (Within Cohens d: ICBT post = 1.8, 6-months follow-up = 2.1; GCBT post = 2.1, 6-months follow-up = 2.2). Confidence interval of the difference between groups posttreatment and at FU6 indicated non-inferiority of ICBT compared to GCBT. At post-treatment, two thirds of patients in both groups were considered responders (ISI-reduction greater than 7p). Using diagnostic criteria, 63% (ICBT) and 75% (GCBT) were in remission. Sleep diary data showed moderate to large effect sizes. We conclude that both guided Internet-CBT and group-CBT in this study were efficacious with regard to insomnia severity, sleep parameters and depressive symptoms. The results are in line with previous research, and strengthen the evidence for guided Internet-CBT for insomnia. Trial registration: The study protocol was approved by, and registered with, the regional ethics review board in Linkoping, Sweden, registration number 2010/385-31.
Staging in schizophrenia might be an important approach for the better treatment and rehabilitation of patients. The purpose of this study was to empirically devise a staging approach in a sample of stabilized patients with schizophrenia. One hundred and seventy patients aged amp;gt;= 18 years (mean = 40.7, SD = 11.6) diagnosed by DSM-5 criteria were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Principal components analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was used. The model was examined in the total sample and separately across a hypothesized stage of illness based on three age groups and between the two sexes. The PCA revealed a six factor structure for the total sample: 1) Negative, 2) Positive, 3) Depression and anxiety, 4) Excitement and Hostility, 5) Neurocognition and 6) Disorganization. The separate PCAs by stage of illness and sex revealed different patterns and quality of symptomatology. The Negative and Positive factors were stable across all examined groups. The models corresponding to different stages differed mainly in terms of neurocognition and disorganization and their interplay. Catatonic features appear more prominent in males while in females neurocognition takes two forms; one with disorganization and one with stereotype thinking with delusions. This study suggests that the three arbitrary defined stages of illness (on the basis of age) seem to reflect a progress from a preserved insight and more coherent mental functioning to disorganization and eventually neurocognitive impairment. Sexes differ in terms of the relationship of psychotic features with neurocognition. These results might have significant research and clinical implications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background.
The aim of the current study was to explore the changing interrelationships among clinical variables through the stages of schizophrenia in order to assemble a comprehensive and meaningful disease model.
Methods.
Twenty-nine centers from 25 countries participated and included 2358 patients aged 37.21 ± 11.87 years with schizophrenia. Multiple linear regression analysis and visual inspection of plots were performed.
Results.
The results suggest that with progression stages, there are changing correlations among Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale factors at each stage and each factor correlates with all the others in that particular stage, in which this factor is dominant. This internal structure further supports the validity of an already proposed four stages model, with positive symptoms dominating the first stage, excitement/hostility the second, depression the third, and neurocognitive decline the last stage.
Conclusions.
The current study investigated the mental organization and functioning in patients with schizophrenia in relation to different stages of illness progression. It revealed two distinct “cores” of schizophrenia, the “Positive” and the “Negative,” while neurocognitive decline escalates during the later stages. Future research should focus on the therapeutic implications of such a model. Stopping the progress of the illness could demand to stop the succession of stages. This could be achieved not only by both halting the triggering effect of positive and negative symptoms, but also by stopping the sensitization effect on the neural pathways responsible for the development of hostility, excitement, anxiety, and depression as well as the deleterious effect on neural networks responsible for neurocognition.
Introduction
A specific clinically relevant staging model for schizophrenia has not yet been developed. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the factor structure of the PANSS and develop such a staging method.
Methods
Twenty-nine centers from 25 countries contributed 2358 patients aged 37.21 ± 11.87 years with schizophrenia. Analysis of covariance, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Discriminant Function Analysis, and inspection of resultant plots were performed.
Results
Exploratory Factor Analysis returned 5 factors explaining 59% of the variance (positive, negative, excitement/hostility, depression/anxiety, and neurocognition). The staging model included 4 main stages with substages that were predominantly characterized by a single domain of symptoms (stage 1: positive; stages 2a and 2b: excitement/hostility; stage 3a and 3b: depression/anxiety; stage 4a and 4b: neurocognition). There were no differences between sexes. The Discriminant Function Analysis developed an algorithm that correctly classified >85% of patients.
Discussion
This study elaborates a 5-factor solution and a clinical staging method for patients with schizophrenia. It is the largest study to address these issues among patients who are more likely to remain affiliated with mental health services for prolonged periods of time.
In recent years, chronic and recurrent pain have gained interest as distinct conditions interacting both with peripheral and central parts of the nervous system as well as with the immune system. The risk of getting affected by abnormal pain modulation i.e., chronic pain is not equally distributed in the population and the search for risk factors is therefore of interest. One potential risk factor for chronic pain is insomnia symptoms i.e., difficulties falling asleep or maintaining sleep. In turn, insomnia symptoms are overrepresented in persons with chronic pain. Common current pain treatments lead to limited improvement of insomnia symptoms calling for treatments specifically directed to improve sleep. The overall aim of this thesis is therefore to investigate the distribution of insomnia severity in patients seeking specialized care for chronic pain, to investigate the role of insomnia severity as a risk factor for spreading of pre-existing pain, and to evaluate potential treatments for insomnia symptoms comorbid to chronic pain.
Study I highlighted the high prevalence rates of insomnia symptoms in patients with chronic pain conditions. Roughly, insomnia was six times more common in our sample compared to the general population. We also showed that there were weak connections between insomnia symptoms and other variables (primarily psychological symptoms and pain intensity). In Study II physical exercise was more efficacious than Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based stress management and the active control group in reducing insomnia symptoms and pain intensity short term. Improvements in physical exercise were largely maintained after twelve months but pain intensity had then also declined in the control group. No improvements in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based stress management remain significant when an intention to treat principles were applied. In Study III, a dose-dependent increase in risk for spreading of pain was confirmed in subjects reporting moderate and severe insomnia symptoms. Though, there was no increase in the risk of pain spreading in subjects reporting sub-threshold insomnia symptoms (according to Insomnia Severity Index). In Study IV patients in the Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia group, showed a more rapid improvement in insomnia symptoms than patients in the internet-delivered applied relaxation. The effect of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia had declined slightly after six months and the Applied Relaxation group had continued to improve, leading to a comparable outcome on the Insomnia Severity Index at six-month follow-up.
In conclusion, insomnia symptoms are common in patients seeking specialized pain care. High levels of insomnia symptoms increase the risk of spreading of pre-existing pain and this in a dose-dependent manner. Physical exercise has significant, but not clinically meaningful effects on pain intensity and insomnia symptoms. Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia leads to a more rapid reduction of insomnia symptoms compared to applied relaxation, although long-term effects are uncertain