Dr. Bartley has been awarded a National Institutes of Health K99/R00 award funded by the National Institute on Aging entitled: Adaptability and Resilience in Aging Adults (ARIAA).
Persistent pain is a major health concern in older adults and is often associated with increased psychological and functional burden. Therefore, the need to develop new approaches to pain management in older adults is of critical importance. Resilience has been highlighted as a crucial factor in positive health-related functioning and is a promising target for enhancing one’s ability to adapt to pain.
The aims of this 5-year project are to identify resilience mechanisms associated with enhanced pain modulatory capacity, as well as test the efficacy of a targeted resilience intervention in the improvement of pain, physiological functioning (inflammation, adrenocortical functioning), and health outcomes in older adults with chronic low back pain. This study will provide the basis for understanding pathways of positive functioning, and will be a preliminary step towards the development of successful interventions aimed at enhancing resilience in older adults with chronic pain.