DIFFERENCES IN PATIENTS AND FAMILY CAREGIVERS PERCEPTIONS OF THE PAINEXPERIENCE INFLUENCE PATIENT AND CAREGIVER OUTCOMES

The purposes of this study were to determine if there were differences in pain intensity scores, pain duration scores, mood states, and qual ity of life of oncology outpatients whose pain intensity scores were c ongruent with their family caregivers compared to patients whose pain intensity scores were non-congruent and to determine if there were dif ferences in mood states, health status, and caregiver strain between f amily caregivers whose pain intensity scores were congruent with their family members and those family caregivers whose pain intensity score s were non-congruent. A total of 78 patient-caregiver dyads participat ed in the study. Patients completed a Demographic Questionnaire, a Can cer Pain Questionnaire, the Profile of Mood States, and the Multidimen sional Quality of Life Scale-Cancer 2. Family caregivers completed a d emographic questionnaire, the Profile of Mood Stales, the Caregiver St rain Index, and the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey. Bo th patients and family caregivers rated the patient's pain intensity u sing a visual analogue scale (VAS). Patients in the non-congruent dyad s (i.e. difference of >10 on the VAS score) had significantly more moo d disturbance and a poorer quality of life than patients in the congru ent dyads. Family caregivers in the non-congruent dyads had significan tly higher caregiver strain score than caregivers in the congruent dya ds. These findings suggest that differences in the perception of the p ain experience between patients and their family caregivers is associa ted with deleterious outcomes for the patient and their family caregiv ers. (C) 1997 International Association for the Study of Pain. Publish ed by Elsevier Science B.V.