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Cited by 178

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Sleep and Pain: A Systematic Review of Studies of Mediation

Whibley, Daniel, AlKandari, Nourah, Kristensen, Kaja, Barnish, Max, Rzewuska, Magdalena, Druce, Katie L., Tang, Nicole K.Y.·2019·The Clinical Journal of Pain
DOI 10.1097/ajp.0000000000000697
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Abstract

Objectives: A relationship between sleep and pain is well established. A better understanding of the mechanisms that link sleep and pain intensity is urgently needed to optimize pain management interventions. The objective of this systematic review was to identify, synthesize, and critically appraise studies that have investigated putative mediators on the path between sleep and pain intensity. Methods: A systematic search of 5 electronic bibliographic databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) was conducted. Eligible studies had to apply a formal test of mediation to variables on the path between a sleep variable and pain intensity or vice versa. All searches, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted by at least 2 independent reviewers. Results: The search yielded 2839 unique articles, 9 of which were eligible. Of 13 mediation analyses, 11 investigated pathways from a sleep variable to pain intensity. Putative mediators included affect/mood, depression and/or anxiety, attention to pain, pain helplessness, stress, fatigue, and physical activity. Two analyses investigated pathways from pain intensity to a sleep variable, examining the potentially mediating role of depressive symptoms and mood. Although evidence supported a mediating role for psychological and physiological aspects of emotional experiences and attentional processes, methodological limitations were common, including use of cross-sectional data and minimal adjustment for potential confounders. Discussion: A growing body of research is applying mediation analysis to elucidate mechanistic pathways between sleep and pain intensity. Currently sparse evidence would be illuminated by more intensively collected longitudinal data and improvements in analysis.

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Metadata

Authors
Whibley, D., AlKandari, N., Kristensen, K., Barnish, M., Rzewuska, M., Druce, K. L., & Tang, N. K. Y.
Venue
The Clinical Journal of Pain
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2019-06
Volume
35
Issue
6
Pages
544-558
ISSN
0749-8047
DOI
10.1097/ajp.0000000000000697
Cited by
178
References
22
Language
en
Licence
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/%20http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (unspecified)

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Sleep and Pain: A Systematic Review of Studies of Mediation. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1097/ajp.0000000000000697
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Whibley, D., AlKandari, N., Kristensen, K., Barnish, M., Rzewuska, M., Druce, K. L., & Tang, N. K. Y. (2019). Sleep and Pain: A Systematic Review of Studies of Mediation. The Clinical Journal of Pain. https://doi.org/10.1097/ajp.0000000000000697

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