Prescription Pain Medication Use Among Midlife and Older Adults With Chronic Pain: The Roles of Generativity and Perceived Family Support

Introduction: This study examined the roles of generativity (i.e., the need to care for and contribute to future generations) and perceived family support in prescription pain medication use among midlife and older adults with chronic pain. Methods: The sample consisted of 826 participants with chronic pain from the Midlife in the United States data set (Midlife in the United States III, 2013-2014). Results: The results of a moderated mediation analysis indicated that generativity significantly mitigated the negative association between pain interference and perceived family support, and those with high generativity reported consuming more prescription pain medications at all levels of pain interference. Discussion: The findings indicated the protective roles of generativity in attenuating the detrimental effects of chronic pain on family support and suggested the potential roles of perceived family support and generativity in medication adherence among midlife and older adults with chronic pain.