title: The effectiveness of psychological treatments for chronic pain in older adults: cautious optimism and an agenda for research.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explores the potential role of psychological treatments for older people who are affected by chronic pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It is now widely recognized that chronic pain is a highly prevalent health problem among older people, and guidelines have evolved to assist with the assessment and management of chronic pain. However, despite the fact that psychological treatments have been shown to be effective for a range of other conditions such as depression and anxiety, there is a relative paucity of studies focused on pain management. Although more evidence is needed, the trend from existing studies indicates that older people find psychological treatments for chronic pain to be relevant, acceptable in content, and beneficial in reducing distress and disability. Particular challenges arise for the delivery of psychological interventions to people with pain and cognitive impairment associated with dementia. There is a growing interest in this population and a good deal of research has focused on the assessment of pain, but with a small number of exceptions, almost no research activity as yet in developing psychological treatments for people with pain and dementia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that there is sufficient evidence that psychological interventions are efficacious for older people with chronic pain. We propose a number of areas for research focus over the next 10 years that will help to consolidate our knowledge and to explore new avenues for the psychological management of chronic pain in older people.
authors.affiliation: aSchool of Psychology and Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland bPain Management Research Institute, Royal North Shore Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia cDepartment of Psychology, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran dARUK Musculoskeletal Centre, Keele University, Keele, UK.
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.forename: Michael K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Nicholas
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asghari
authors.forename: Bradley M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Chris J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Main
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy*