Emotional and Social Aspects of Cancer Pain

Abstract

The emotional and social consequences of pain were studied in 93 consecutive in-patients, 44 males and 49 females, suffering from cancer-related pain. The methods used were Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), standardized interviews and comprehensive self-questionnaires. Forty-seven patients (51%) experienced certain or pronounced anxiety (4-6 or 7-9 on a 9-grade scale) because of their pain and 66 patients (71%) expressed depressive pain-associated symptoms, which had a high correlation with the intensity of their pain. Physical activities such as movements, dressing/undressing, washing, cooking were hampered in about 2/3 of the patients and mental activities such as reading were significantly disturbed in 48% of the cases. For every social activity listed in the questionnaires (hobbies, seeing friends, etc) most patients reported a decreased activity because of pain and in most cases the decrease correlated significantly with the intensity of the pain. The family roles had changed since the patient could not participate in a usual manner. The study underlines the profound consequences of pain: physical suffering, emotional distress, social handicap and altered family roles. Thus, pain control should be a high-priority matter in palliative care.