Pain medication misuse among participants with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Study design:Self-reported survey.Objective:Our purpose was to identify the predictors of pain medication misuse (PMM) among participants with spinal cord injury (SCI).Setting:A medical university in the southeastern United States.Methods:A total of 919 adults with impairment from traumatic SCI of at least 1-year duration, who reported at least one painful condition and were taking prescription medication to treat pain, were included in this study. PMM was measured by the Pain Medication Questionnaire (PMQ).Results:The average PMQ score was 19.7, with 25.8% of participants scoring at or above the cutoff of 25, which is indicative of PMM. A three-stage logistic regression analysis was conducted by sequentially adding three sets of predictors to the equation: (1) demographic and injury characteristics; (2) pain characteristics and (3) frequency of pain medication use. Age and education level were protective of PMM, whereas pain intensity, pain interference and pain medication use were risk factors. Number of painful days was not significant in the final model.Conclusion:PMM must be of concern after SCI, given its high prevalence among those with at least one painful condition and its relationship with pain indicators.