Background: Psychological factors of patients may influence physicians' decisions on prescribing
opioid analgesics. However, few studies have sought to identify these factors. The present study had a double objective: (1) To identify the individual factors that differentiate patients who had been prescribed
opioids for the management of chronic
back pain from those who had not been prescribed
opioids and (2) to determine which factors make significant and independent contributions to the prediction of
opioid prescribing. Methods: A total of 675 patients from four primary care centers were included in the sample. Variables included sex, age,
pain intensity, depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, and
pain acceptance. Results: Although no differences were found between men and women, participants with chronic noncancer
pain who were prescribed
opioids were older, reported higher levels of
pain intensity and depressive symptoms, and reported lower levels of
pain-acceptance. An independent association was found between
pain intensity and depressive symptoms and
opioid prescribing. Conclusions: The findings suggest that patient factors influence physicians' decisions on prescribing
opioids. It may be useful for primary care physicians to be aware of the potential of these factors to bias their treatment decisions.