The Relationship between Pain and Stress in Senior Citizens Residing in a Certain District

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In spite of its high prevalence and social impact, pain in the elderly has not been managed appropriately. Understanding the multidimensional aspect of pain is crucial in its effective management. Patients with chronic pain are known to be more profoundly affected by psychological and social factors. We, therefore, classified chronic pain patients and especially focused on the relationship between pain and stress. METHODS: The subjects were 149 persons older than 60 years attending a certain geriatric college. A survey was peformed employing the Korean version of Geriatric Pain Measure (GPM-K), the Korean Version of Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-K), the Elderly Life Stress Inventory (ELSI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form-Korea Version (GDSSF-K), and the Revised Chalder's Fatigue Scale (Fatigue). RESULTS: A total of 103 people, who completed both the questionnaires on pain and stress were enrolled. There was a significant correlation between GPM-K and ELSI (ELSI r=.38, P<0.01). In chronic pain patients, not only ELSI, but also PSS was correlated with GPM-K (ELSI r=.37, P<0.01, PSS r=.25, P=0.04). CONCLUSION: There was a significant correlation between GPM-K and ELSI in the elderly. In chronic pain patients, it was more closely associated with GPM-K. We, therefore, believe that stress management can be useful in the management of pain, especially in the management of chronic pain patients.