Pain Catastrophizing Mediates the Relationship Between Pain Intensity and Sleep Disturbances in U.S. Veterans With Chronic Pain.

Sleep disturbances in this sample of Veterans with chronic pain included insufficient sleep, fragmented sleep, and perceived poor sleep quality. Analyses suggest that poor perceived sleep quality and pain intensity are mediated via pain catastrophizing. The finding highlights the potential importance of pain catastrophizing in Veterans with chronic pain. Future longitudinal research is needed to determine the extent to which treatments that reduce pain catastrophizing might also improve both sleep and pain outcomes.