THE USE OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL PAIN COPING IN TAIWANESE CANCER PATIENTS.
Contributors: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 187
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Oncology.; Psychology, Cognitive.; Psychology, Clinical.; Health Sciences, Mental Health.
Description: Cancer pain is a subjective experience and has a major impact on patients' quality of life. However, in Taiwan, nursing research examining cancer patients' pain coping experience is very limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and effectiveness of using cognitive-behavioral pain coping and their related factors in Taiwanese cancer patients.

A cross-sectional correlation design was used in this study. Two pilot studies were conducted to test the feasibility and psychometrics of research instruments. These instruments included four pain beliefs subscales, the Composed Cognitive-Behavioral Pain Coping Frequency Scale (CCBPCS-Freq) and its effectiveness scale (CCBPCS-Eff), Pain Assessment Form, Demographic Information Form and Karnofsky Performance Index. All of the instruments were translated and back-translated from English to Chinese and demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. Data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and a series of hierarchical regression analyses.

Two hundred and seventeen hospitalized cancer patients with disease-related pain were recruited from four medical centers in Taiwan. In general, subjects did not frequently use cognitive-behavioral pain coping and did not perceive these strategies as very effective. The regression analyses showed that patients with higher control and emotion beliefs, and higher education level used the cognitive-behavioral pain coping strategies more frequently than other subjects. Patients with higher control and emotion beliefs, lower disability beliefs, and higher education level perceived the use of cognitive-behavioral pain coping as more effective than other subjects. Furthermore, the interaction between disability belief and pain duration significantly predicted the effectiveness of using cognitive-behavioral pain coping. Patients who believed they were more disabled and who had pain of longer duration perceived the use of cognitive-behavioral pain coping as less effective than did subjects with the same level of disability belief, but shorter pain duration.

The findings indicated that the pain coping experience is an interactive multidimensional phenomenon. Nursing assessment and intervention in cancer patients with pain should be based on a more comprehensive model that includes patients' pain beliefs and education level. Future studies should test, in this and other populations, the effects of cognitive-behavioral strategies in dealing with cancer pain.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-05, Section: B, page: 3130.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL, 1996.

School code: 0153.