Risk of Pain Medication Misuse After Spinal Cord Injury: The Role of Substance Use, Personality, and Depression.

Our purpose was to identify risk of pain medication misuse (PMM) among participants with spinal cord injury (SCI) by examining associations with multiple sets of risk factors including demographic and injury characteristics, pain experiences, frequency of pain medication use, substance use, personality, and depressive symptoms. Risk of PMM was defined by a cutoff score ≥30 measured using the Pain Medication Questionnaire (PMQ) and examined in 1,619 adults with traumatic SCI of at least 1 year duration who reported at least 1 painful condition and use of prescription pain medication using a cross-sectional design. Results indicated 17.6% of participants had scores of ≥30 on the PMQ. After controlling for demographic, injury, and pain characteristics, logistic regression analysis showed that being a current smoker, recently using cannabis (behavioral factors), and multiple psychological factors were associated with risk of PMM, as indicated by scores on the PMQ. These included elevated depressive symptomatology and exhibiting impulsive or anxious personality traits. Because risk of PMM is indicated in individuals with SCI, prescribers should assess and monitor multiple risk factors for PMM including substance use behaviors and psychological indicators. PERSPECTIVE: This article identifies behavioral substance use and psychological factors associated with risk of PMM, measured using the PMQ, among those with SCI. Identification of these related variables will help health care professionals better prescribe and monitor pain medication use and/or misuse among individuals with SCI.