CANUE: A Theoretical Model of Pain as an Antecedent for Substance Use

Pain and substance use are frequently comorbid and have been shown to exert bidirectional effects. Self-medication of pain and distress via substance use is common and can be understood via negative reinforcement, ultimately strengthening the pathway between pain to substance use over time. As such, a testable model of the potentially modifiable candidate mechanisms that underlie the pain to substance use pathway is needed.

This review proposes a testable model of pain as an antecedent to substance use to guide future research and inform clinical practice.

An integrative review of current evidence regarding pain, substance use, and associated risk factors (i.e., negative affect, pain-related attitudes, negative urgency, and substance use outcome expectancies) was conducted.

The Catastrophizing, Anxiety, Negative Urgency, and Expectancy (CANUE) model highlights modifiable risk factors for self-medicating pain with substance use, including increased negative affect and maladaptive pain-related attitudes (i.e., pain catastrophizing, pain anxiety, and fear of pain), negative urgency, and substance-related outcome expectancies for pain relief and enhanced pain coping.

Targeted behavioral and psychological interventions that address these factors may facilitate more adaptive pain-coping responses, thereby reducing the impacts of pain on substance use. Systematic research is needed to evaluate the validity and clinical utility of this model.