Present by: Patrick Steffen, PhD

Over 51 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, or 21% of the adult population (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7215a1.htm). Chronic pain impacts quality of life, ability to engage in everyday activities, and is a factor in missed work. Chronic stress and mental health problems play a significant role in chronic pain and is associated with poor coping with pain and higher levels of reported pain. Chronic stress is also highly prevalent in American society, with many studies finding over half of people reporting more stress than they can adequately cope with (see APA’s annual Stress in America Surveys, https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress). The purpose of this presentation is to discuss key factors in chronic pain, how they are exacerbated by chronic stress, and potential solutions to improved coping with chronic pain.

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