The opioid epidemic is a significant public health concern in the United States, particularly among adults with chronic pain. Considerable research suggests that people with mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, may experience more opioid-related problems in the context of chronic pain. Yet, little work has examined potential mechanisms underyling these relations. Emotion dysregulation is one mechanistic factor that may link anxiety and depression and opioid-related problems among persons with chronic pain. Therefore, the current study examined the explanatory role of emotion dysregulation in the cross-sectional relationship between anxiety and depression problems and current opioid misuse and severity of opioid dependence among 431 adults with chronic pain who reported currently using opioid medications (74% female, M_age=38.32 years, SD = 11.11). Results indicated that emotion dysregulation explained, in part, the relationship between anxiety and depression symptoms and opioid-related problems. These findings highlight the need to further consider the role of emotion dysregulation among adults with chronic pain who use prescription opioids and experience symptoms of anxiety or depression. Future prospective research will be needed to further establish emotion dysregulation as a mechanism in anxiety/depression-opioid misuse/dependence processes.

在美国，阿片类药物流行是一个重大的公共卫生问题，特别是在患有慢性疼痛的成年人中。大量研究表明，患有精神疾病（包括焦虑症和抑郁症）的人在慢性疼痛的情况下可能会遇到更多与阿片类药物有关的问题。然而，很少有工作研究这些关系基础的潜在机制。情绪失调是一种机制性因素，可将慢性疼痛患者的焦虑和抑郁与阿片类药物相关的问题联系起来。因此，本研究调查了431名患有慢性疼痛的成年人（目前有74％的女性使用阿片类药物，其中包括焦虑症和抑郁症与当前阿片类药物滥用和阿片类药物依赖的严重性之间的横断面关系）的解释性作用。M_年龄= 38.32岁，SD  = 11.11）。结果表明情绪失调部分解释了焦虑和抑郁症状与阿片类药物相关问题之间的关系。这些发现表明，有必要进一步考虑情绪波动失调在使用处方阿片类药物并经历焦虑或抑郁症状的慢性疼痛成年人中的作用。需要进一步的前瞻性研究，以进一步将情绪失调确定为焦虑/抑郁-阿片类药物滥用/依赖性过程中的一种机制。