Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42249982›Full record

ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2026

Understanding quality of life in chronic non-cancer pain: untangling the associations between medication use, psychosocial functioning, and stigma.

Justine Vanbavinckhove, Maité Van Alboom, Fleur Baert, Melissa Ceuterick, Peter Pype, Koen Boussery, Piet Bracke, Bart Morlion, Liesbet Goubert

Abstract read
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Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Justine VanbavinckhoveDepartment of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Justine.Vanbavinckhove@UGent.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5593-2943
Maité Van AlboomDepartment of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3883-8549
Fleur BaertDepartment of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7602-5859
Melissa CeuterickDepartment of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1376-9524
Peter PypeDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2273-0250
Koen BousseryPharmaceutical Care Unit, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2582-5044
Piet BrackeDepartment of Sociology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9477-3236
Bart MorlionDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, Section Anesthesiology and Algology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6156-880X
Liesbet GoubertDepartment of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7657-5148

Funding

Fund for Scientific Research (FWO)-Flanders, Belgium 11K0421NFund for Scientific Research (FWO)-Flanders, Belgium G020118NSpecial Research Fund (Ghent University) BOF/IOP/2022/021
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo explore the relationships between pain medication use and quality of life in individuals with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), with a focus on three domains: pain severity, well-being and psychosocial functioning, and stigma experiences.

methodsA secondary analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data from an online Belgian survey. The sample consisted of 332 participants with CNCP (M

resultsParticipants classified in higher pain grades were more likely to use stronger opioids. Significant differences emerged between medication groups in well-being and functioning, as well as stigma experiences. Specifically, individuals in the strongest opioid group reported the highest levels of pain interference, social isolation, enacted and internalized stigma, alongside the lowest levels of physical functioning and social participation. After controlling for pain severity, only differences between medication groups in pain interference and physical functioning remained significant. In contrast, pain severity showed significant main effects across all outcomes: pain interference, physical functioning, social participation, social isolation, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and overall stigma.

conclusionThis study emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary treatment approach, given that both pain severity and opioid use were associated with poorer quality of life among individuals with CNCP.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidChronic PainPsychosocial FunctioningQuality of LifeSocial StigmaAdultAgedBelgiumCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementSurveys and QuestionnairesAnalgesics, OpioidChronic painOpioid usePain medicationPsychosocial functioningQuality of lifeStigma

Identifiers

PMID42249982

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.