The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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Comparative Study
Validity of pain intensity assessment in persons with cerebral palsy: a comparison of six scales.
Chronic pain is a common condition in persons with cerebral palsy (CP), although there is a paucity of research studying CP-related pain. One of the barriers to a better understanding of pain in persons with CP is the lack of information concerning the validity of pain measures that may be used with this population. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative validity of several pain measures in a sample of persons with CP-related pain. ⋯ An additional 24 persons with CP were administered 5 of the 6 pain intensity scales. The results of factor analyses support the validity of each measure of pain in this sample of persons with CP. However, an examination of the pattern of associations between each of the pain ratings with measures of pain interference and depression suggest that the 7-point Faces Scale may be somewhat less valid than the other measures.
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The purpose of this investigation was to establish predictors of the dimensions of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness recalled at 1 week and 18 months after an invasive therapeutic procedure, root canal therapy (RCT). Pretreatment measures of mood state and RCT-related expectations of sensory and affective dimensions of pain by using a visual analog scale (VAS) format were obtained. ⋯ Regression analysis showed that after controlling for age, experienced pain intensity predicts 1-week memory of pain intensity (adjusted R(2) [equals].34, P [lt ].01), whereas patients[apos ] pretreatment affective state predicts the memory of pain intensity at 18 months (adjusted R(2) [equals].24, P [lt ].01) and the memory of pain unpleasantness at 1 week (adjusted R(2) [equals].40, P [lt ].01) and 18 months (adjusted R(2) [equals].62, P [lt ].01). These findings point to the contribution of preexisting affective state to the sensory and affective dimensions of pain recollection and illustrate the importance of anxiety management for minimizing patient[apos ]s long-term recollection of the aversiveness of outpatient medical and dental procedures.
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Comparative Study
The effect of race in older adults presenting for chronic pain management: a comparative study of black and white Americans.
In an aging society, chronic pain will increasingly have a significant impact on successful aging. Chronic pain may further differentially affect racial and ethnic minorities while diminishing their health and quality of life. This study addresses the potential differential effects of chronic pain cross-culturally in older Americans. ⋯ These results suggest that chronic pain adversely affects the quality of life and health status of black Americans to a greater extent than white Americans before initial presentation for treatment at a multidisciplinary pain center. This study of older Americans with chronic pain showed significant differences in pain and health status based on race. It further demonstrates a difference in the chronic pain experience based on race in older Americans.