Examining the Effects of Chronic Pain on Memory Processes within the Framework of the Biopsychosocial Model

Abstract

Chronic pain, one of the most common types of pain, has been linked to impaired cognitive abilities such as memory difficulties. The current article aims to provide a review of studies examining how the biological, psychological, and social components affect memory in patients with chronic pain. Studies have found that chronic pain patients mostly complain about memory deficits, and the biopsychosocial model is widely used to better understand why these patients have such deficits. The biopsychosocial model also enables each patient to cope with cognitive and behavioral difficulties by developing a unique intervention model. First, the biological component of model argues that chronic pain causes biological changes in patients and negatively affects cognitive processes, such as attention and memory. Second, the psychological component discusses the comorbidities such as depression and anxiety disorder caused by chronic pain and investigates how they influence memory performance. Third, the social component suggests that patients experience adverse impacts of chronic pain due to several impairments, such as increased healthcare costs, and insufficient sleep. The review concludes that memory performance in patients with chronic pain is affected by the biological, psychological, and social components, and these components interact with each other and cause impairments in memory.