Chronic Pain Severity in Opioid-Dependent Patients

Treatment-seeking opioid-dependent patients present frequently with chronic pain (CP). This pilot study examined the feasibility and utility of a single-item rapid screening tool for identifying CP with implications for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in a sample of patients presenting for inpatient opioid detoxification (n = 110). Most respondents (91.2%) reported pain in the past week. Forty-seven (42.8%) had CP. Individuals with severe CP had significantly greater depressive symptom severity, pain-related functional interference, and were more likely to be on disability than individuals with mild to moderate CP or no CP. The relationships were supported in a multivariate model. The results suggest it is feasible and important to assess for CP severity in SUD treatment settings.