Pain
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Controlled Clinical Trial
The significant other version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS-S): preliminary validation.
Researchers have hypothesized that pain catastrophizing has a social function. Although work has focused on the catastrophizing of individuals with chronic pain (ICPs), little is known about the pain catastrophizing of their significant others. The purpose of this study was to test the validity of a revised version of the original PCS [Sullivan MJL, Bishop S, Pivik J. ⋯ Spouse catastrophizing was related to ICP pain severity and interference as well as both spouses' depressive symptoms. In addition, ICPs were at a greater risk for psychological distress when both spouses had higher levels of catastrophizing. The PCS-S has the potential to be a useful and valid measure of pain catastrophizing in the significant others of ICPs.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Does medication overuse headache represent a behavior of dependence?
Medication overuse is relatively common in patients with frequent headache. To explore the prevalence of patients who meet the criteria for substance dependence in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition IV (DSM-IV), and to identify variables of substance dependence among patients with chronic daily headache, we recruited consecutive patients with chronic daily headache at a headache clinic from November 1999 to June 2004. Each patient completed a headache intake form, a dependence questionnaire modified from DSM-IV, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). ⋯ Patients who fulfilled DSM-IV criteria of dependence had higher numbers of physician appointments in the past year. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that migraine headache, frequent physician consultation, intensity of headache, and presence of a higher anxiety score were significant independent variables for substance dependence. Among patients with chronic daily headache, pMOH was associated with behaviors of substance dependence.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Sucrose-induced analgesia is related to sweet preferences in children but not adults.
The present study tested the hypothesis that the efficacy of sucrose in reducing pain during the Cold Pressor Test (CPT) was related to its hedonic value. To this aim, we determined the most preferred level of sucrose and the analgesic properties of 24% w/v sucrose during the CPT in 242, 5- to 10-year-old children and their mothers. Outcome measures included pain thresholds (the time at which discomfort was first indicated) and pain tolerance (the length of time the hand was kept in the cold water bath). ⋯ That is, children who preferred >or=24%w/v sucrose exhibited an increased latency to report pain and tolerated pain for significantly longer periods of time when sucrose was held in their mouths relative to water. This effect was more pronounced among normal weight when compared to overweight/at risk for overweight children. The role that dietary habits and individual differences contribute to the preferences for sweet taste and its physiological consequences in children is an important area for future research.
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Although more severe acute postoperative pain increases the risk of chronic pain following breast cancer surgery, few studies have examined the characteristics of patients who develop greater acute pain. To identify risk factors for acute pain and its persistence one month following breast cancer surgery, a sample of 114 women scheduled for breast cancer surgery was assessed preoperatively for demographic, clinical, and emotional functioning variables that were hypothesized to be associated with acute pain severity. ⋯ In multiple logistic regression analyses, greater preoperative anxiety was the only variable that made an independent contribution to predicting clinically meaningful acute pain at 2 days after surgery whereas younger age, being unmarried, and preoperative anxiety each made an independent contribution to predicting clinically meaningful acute pain that persisted from 2 to 30 days after surgery. These results increase understanding of neurobiologic mechanisms and psychosocial processes that contribute to the development of acute pain following breast cancer surgery and have implications for the development of interventions to prevent it.
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Clinical Trial
Categorising the severity of neck pain: establishment of cut-points for use in clinical and epidemiological research.
Grading pain intensity scales into simple categories provides useful information for both clinicians and epidemiologists and methods to classify pain severity for numerical rating scales have been recommended. However, the establishment of cut-points is still in its infancy and little is known as to whether cut-points are affected by age or gender. The objectives of this paper were to establish optimal cut-points in pain severity in individuals with neck pain (NP) and to investigate if the cut-points were influenced by gender, age, and NP duration. ⋯ Only small gender differences in cut-points were seen and no specific trend was noted in either single or double cut-points in different age groups. The cut-points were almost identical for acute, subacute, and chronic NP. This paper has implications for understanding the impact of using different pain intensity scales and provides reference cut-points in NP for use in future clinical and epidemiological research.