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The Role of Resilience in the Clinical Management of Chronic Pain

  • Psychological and Behavioral Aspects of Headache and Pain (D Buse, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Chronic pain affects more individuals than does cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined. Yet, our treatment options remain remarkably limited. Often, highly effective psychotherapeutic approaches are limited by many barriers such as access, reimbursement, and acceptability; however, resilience-based positive activity interventions could offer a promising alternative. These interventions are engaging, non-stigmatizing, and do not require a mental health professional for their provision. This article reviews the new, but limited, research exploring the use of positive activity interventions for the treatment of patients with chronic pain. The related psychological and biological mechanisms are addressed, as are suggestions for more systematically evaluating the potential for positive activity interventions to become an adjunct to or stand-alone intervention strategy for patients with chronic pain.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Chronic Pain & Fatigue Research Center, University of Michigan, Domino’s Farms, Lobby M, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, PO Box 385, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, USA

    Afton L. Hassett

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA

    Patrick H. Finan

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  1. Afton L. Hassett
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Correspondence to Afton L. Hassett.

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Afton L. Hassett declares personal fees from Happify, Inc., Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, and Precision Health Economics.

Patrick H. Finan declares no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Psychological and Behavioral Aspects of Headache and Pain

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Hassett, A.L., Finan, P.H. The Role of Resilience in the Clinical Management of Chronic Pain. Curr Pain Headache Rep 20, 39 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-016-0567-7

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