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Biomedical subjects

F J Keefe

Publications and source records attributed to F J Keefe.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Religious coping in the nursing home: a biopsychosocial model.

OBJECTIVE: To examine psychosocial and physical health correlates of religious coping in medically ill chronically institutionalized older adults. Religious coping is defined as the extent to which persons use religious beliefs and practices to help them to cope. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional cohort study conducted in a 120 bed VA-affiliated and a 125 bed university affiliated community-based nursing home in Durham, North Carolina. Participants were 115 chronic care nursing home residents; mean age of the sample was seventy-nine years, 44 percent were women, and 17 percent were African Americans. Subjects were enrolled for a one-month period during which comprehensive psychosocial and health assessments were performed, including evaluation of cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Exam), physical function (Barthel index), severity of medical comorbidity (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale), self-reported physical pain (vertical verbal descriptor scale), depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale), social support (social network), and religious coping (Religious Coping Index). RESULTS: Over 43 percent of the sample scored in the depressed range of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Almost 60 percent reported they used religion at least to a large extent when coping with their problems; 34 percent said that it was the most important factor that enabled them to cope. Patients who used religion to cope had greater social support (p = .01), more severe medical illness (p = .04), and better cognitive functioning (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Religious beliefs and practices are frequently used by chronically institutionalized older adults to help them to cope. Religious coping is associated with more severe medical illness, higher social support, and better cognitive functioning.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

Pain coping strategies in children with juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome: correlation with pain, physical function, and psychological distress.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to describe the coping strategies used by children with juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome (JPFS), and 2) to examine how pain coping relates to measures of pain, disability/function, psychological distress, and pain behavior. METHODS: Sixteen children with JPFS completed the Child Version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ-C), the visual analog scale for pain, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire modified for children, the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Subjects also also underwent pain behavior observation. Pearson's product moment correlations were conducted to examine the relationship of coping to measures of pain and disability. RESULTS: The Pain Control and Rational Thinking composite factor score on the CSQ-C correlated with measures of pain severity, functional disability, and psychological distress. Results supported the internal reliability of the CSQ-C in assessing pain coping. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the CSQ-C may provide a reliable measure for assessing variations in pain coping in JPFS patients. Behavioral interventions aimed at increasing the perception of pain control may be beneficial in treating JPFS.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

Spouse-assisted coping skills training in the management of osteoarthritic knee pain.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a spouse-assisted pain-coping skills training intervention on pain, psychological disability, physical disability, pain-coping, and pain behavior in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knees. METHODS: Eighty-eight OA patients with persistent knee pain were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: 1) spouse-assisted pain-coping skills training, (spouse-assisted CST), 2) a conventional CST intervention with no spouse involvement (CST), or 3) an arthritis education-spousal support (AE-SS) control condition. All treatment was carried out in 10 weekly, 2-hour group sessions. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed that at the completion of treatment, patients in the spouse-assisted CST condition had significantly lower levels of pain, psychological disability, and pain behavior, and higher scores on measures of coping attempts, marital adjustment, and self-efficacy than patients in the AE-SS control condition. Compared to patients in the AE-SS control condition, patients who received CST without spouse involvement had significantly higher post-treatment levels of self-efficacy and marital adjustment and showed a tendency toward lower levels of pain and psychological disability and higher scores on measures of coping attempts and ratings of the perceived effectiveness of pain-coping strategies. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that spouse-assisted CST has potential as a method for reducing pain and disability in OA patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Pain during mammography: characteristics and relationship to demographic and medical variables.

Reports of pain during mammography show that there is great variability in both the incidence of reported pain (0.2-62%) and the intensity of that pain. Much of that variability may be due to the measures used to rate mammography pain. This is the first study that has examined the incidence, quality and intensity of mammography pain using a variety of pain measures. A sample of 119 women undergoing screening mammography was studied using four pain scales, three well-validated measures frequently used in the pain research literature as well as a pain/discomfort measure frequently reported in the radiology literature. A large proportion (up to 91%) of women report having some degree of pain during mammography. The intensity of that pain was typically in the low to moderate range, but a small proportion of women (< 15%) reported intense pain. The incidence of reported pain was related to the pain measure used. Pain measures that provided a woman with many options for reporting pain were associated with a higher incidence of pain than a scale that provided only one or two options. Thus, some of the variability in reported incidence of pain during mammography can be explained by the pain scale used in the study. Demographic and medical variables could explain 18-20% of the variance in mammography pain. Two of the variables that were shown to consistently predict a painful mammographic experience were (1) average pain at the last mammogram and (2) breast density. This study demonstrated that the pain measure selected for use in a particular study may depend on the population being studied. A college education was found to be an important predictor of pain scores on the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Thus, this pain measure may be of limited usefulness in studying a population of women with little formal education.

Female↗
PubMed1996

Pain in young adults--III: Relationships of three pain-coping measures to pain and activity interference.

The study had two purposes: (a) to examine the relationships among coping strategies measured by the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) (1), the Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory (VPMI) (2), and the Ways of Coping Inventory (WOC) (3) and identify the higher-order composite factors representing these relationships; and (b) to determine the degree to which individual coping scale scores and composite coping factor scores could explain variability in the pain intensity and pain-related activity interference reported by young adults. Measures of pain coping were collected from 206 young adults using the CSQ, VPMI, and WOC, along with measures of pain intensity, pain location, and the extent to which pain interfered with daily activities. Results indicated considerable variability in the reported frequency of use of pain-coping strategies and in pain intensity, location, and activity interference. Principal components factor analysis identified three higher-order coping factors (Emotional and Other-Directed Coping, Active Cognitive Coping, and Self-Efficacy for Pain Control) that explained 87% of the variance in individual coping scale scores. The degree to which individual scale scores and composite factor scores explained variability in pain intensity and activity interference variables was determined through a series of multiple regression analyses. The results revealed that individual scale scores, particularly the CSQ scales of catastrophizing and praying or hoping, were best able to explain the variance in measures of pain and activity interference. Taken together, these findings provide further support for the importance of coping variables in explaining the experience of pain and adjustment in young adults.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Pain in arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders: the role of coping skills training and exercise interventions.

There is growing recognition of the limitations of conventional, biomedical approaches to the management of pain in individuals having arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. This article provides an overview of newly developed biopsychosocial approaches to the management of pain in this population. The presentation is divided into three sections. In the first section, a biopsychosocial model of pain is presented. This model highlights the role that biological factors (eg., disease severity, comorbid conditions), cognitive-behavioral factors (eg., thoughts, emotions, and behaviors), and environmental factors (eg., spouse or family responses to pain behavior) can play in influencing the pain experience. In the second section, we provide an overview of two newly developed treatment protocols based on the biopsychosocial model of pain: a pain coping skills training protocol and an exercise training protocol. Practical aspects of implementing these protocols are illustrated by highlighting how they are applied in the management of patients having persistent osteoarthritic pain. In the final section of the article, we pinpoint several important future directions for research in this area. Future studies need to explore the utility of combining pain coping skills and exercise training protocols. In addition, there is a need to identify variables that predict patients' response to biopsychosocial treatments.

Arthritis↗
PubMed1995

Pain in young adults. II: The use and perceived effectiveness of pain-coping strategies.

OBJECTIVE: The first goal of the study was to determine the internal reliability of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) in young adults. The second goal was to examine the relation of the CSQ to reported pain levels. The third goal was to investigate the relationship between the CSQ and concomitant pain problems. The fourth goal was to compare young adults and different chronic pain samples in terms of the frequency of coping strategy use and perceived effectiveness of coping strategies. DESIGN: The study included 252 undergraduate students who were given the CSQ, a demographic and pain level questionnaire, and a concomitant pain problem survey. RESULTS: The results indicated that the CSQ was internally reliable when used to assess pain coping strategy use among young adults. Catastrophizing was found to be associated with both pain level and concomitant pain problems, with subjects reporting higher levels of catastrophizing having higher levels of pain and a higher frequency of both migraine headaches and low back pain. Finally, differences were found when comparing the perceived effectiveness in controlling and decreasing pain, and in the use of specific coping strategies in the young adult and chronic pain samples. The young adult sample reported a greater perceived efficacy in controlling and decreasing pain, compared to a sample of low back pain patients and a sample of myofacial pain patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the CSQ is a reliable measure for the study of pain-coping strategies used in this population, and one that relates to differences reported in the experience of pain.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

Appraisal of and coping with arthritis-related problems in household activities, leisure activities, and pain management.

PURPOSE: We examined whether or not there are systematic differences in how people appraise different types of illness-related problems and in how they cope with these problems. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-five adults with recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis completed a mailed questionnaire followed by a telephone interview. A series of stress appraisal and coping variables were assessed in relation to three areas: household activities, leisure activities, and pain management. RESULTS: Pain differed significantly from household and leisure activities with regard to several appraisal and coping variables. Participants reported the least control over problems with pain, while attaching the most importance to pain control. Leisure activities also stood out as unique on several variables. Participants perceived greater ability and were more satisfied with their ability in relation to leisure activities. CONCLUSION: These findings show that, at least early in the disease, appraisal and coping strategies differ across the areas of household activities, leisure activities, and pain management.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

Pain in young adults: I. Relationship to gender and family pain history.

OBJECTIVES/DESIGN: Two studies were carried out to examine how gender and family pain history related to pain and activity interference in young adults. The first study (n = 252 college students) examined how gender and family pain history related to pain intensity and the second study (n = 206 college students) examined how these variables related to pain intensity, location, and activity interference. Whenever possible, data from the two studies were combined for purposes of data analyses. RESULTS: Results indicated that more than half of the young adults studied reported experiencing some type of pain at the time of the investigation. The intensity of the pain was in the low range and the most frequent sites of pain were in the head and legs or feet. Gender differences were noted, with women reporting a greater number of sites of pain. Family pain history was found to be related to pain and activity interference. Subjects who had a strong family history of pain problems reported a greater number of pain sites, and higher levels of pain-related activity interference. CONCLUSIONS: Generalizability of results is limited due to the group of young adults studied, yet several conclusions relative to this group may be suggested. First, this group of young adults do appear to experience pain. Second, there may be gender differences in the types of pain they report and the ways they react to pain. Third, family history of pain may be related to the pain experiences of this group of young adults.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

Cognitive-behavioral treatment of rheumatoid arthritis pain: maintaining treatment gains.

OBJECTIVE: This paper critically reviews research studies examining the long-term effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions for managing pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The first section of the paper evaluates long-term results obtained in studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy, arthritis education interventions, and combined cognitive-behavioral therapy-arthritis education interventions. These studies show that although some rheumatoid arthritis patients are able to maintain initial improvements in pain and disability, other rheumatoid arthritis patients do not. In the second section of this review, a cognitive-behavioral model of maintenance of pain coping skills is presented. This model may be useful in increasing our understanding of the relapse process and in planning interventions to enhance and prolong cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment gains. The final section of this paper addresses important future directions for research. The need for empirical studies of relapse and maintenance processes is underscored. CONCLUSIONS: Controlled studies are needed to test the utility of new cognitive-behavioral interventions designed to enhance the long-term maintenance of treatment gains in RA patients. We suggest that a focus on issues of relapse and maintenance may be just as important for medical and surgical interventions for rheumatoid arthritis pain, as it is for cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

Predictors of response to pain management treatment. The role of family environment and changes in cognitive processes.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to examine factors that influence individual differences in treatment response after multidisciplinary pain management. DESIGN: Pre-post assessment design. PATIENTS: 119 chronic pain inpatients. MAIN MEASURES: Outcome measures included pain report from the McGill Pain Questionnaire, emotional distress from the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised, and activity discomfort from the Activity Discomfort Scale. Process measures included the Family Environment Scale, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, and the Inventory of Negative Thoughts in Response to Pain. RESULTS: Results indicated that pretreatment family environment, cognitive coping strategies, and negative thinking accounted for small yet significant proportions of the variance in outcome. The proportion of variance accounted for by the changes in cognitive coping and negative thinking was somewhat higher. An increase in pain control and rational thinking was related to decreases in depression and anxiety, pain report, and activity discomfort. Decreases in negative social cognitions were related to decreased depression at posttreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in coping strategies and negative thinking may be important mechanisms related to improvement, or lack of improvement, in a range of outcome measures. Patients from families who are controlling and disorganized, and patients high on negative thinking at pretreatment may represent high-risk groups in need of further individually tailored interventions.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Psychological well-being among people with recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis. Do self-perceptions of abilities make a difference?

OBJECTIVE: Satisfaction with abilities and perceived importance of abilities are 2 factors involved in the process of self-evaluation. We examined the role that these factors play in adjustment to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Data were collected, via telephone interview and mailed questionnaire, from 234 individuals with recently diagnosed RA. Disease severity information was obtained from participants' physicians. RESULTS: Consistent with study hypotheses, satisfaction was associated with psychological well-being only among those who viewed as very important the abilities being evaluated. CONCLUSION: These findings increase understanding of the conditions under which low levels of satisfaction are likely to be associated with psychological distress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis: relationships of plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha, soluble interleukin 2-receptor, soluble CD4/CD8 ratio, neopterin, and fibrin D-dimer to traditional severity and functional measures.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a complex inflammatory disease of unknown cause. Although various laboratory and clinical measurements are useful in managing these patients, there is a need for better tests to quantitatively assess disease activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of certain immune and inflammation (I-I) parameters with four traditional disease severity measures and a functional measure in rheumatoid arthritis patients. A single set of patient blood samples was analyzed, and four traditional disease severity measures and patient functional statuses were determined from 64 consecutive outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis. Plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), sCD4 and sCD8 (and the sCD4/sCD8 ratio), neopterin, and fibrin D-dimer were analyzed in relationship to Westergren erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), physician assessment of disease activity, joint pain count, grip strength, and Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS) scores. Rheumatoid arthritis patients had higher mean levels of all I-I measures (except sCD4) compared to healthy subjects. Initial significant correlations between TNF, sIL-2R, and D-dimer and several disease severity and functional measures were detected. When we controlled for the covariates age, gender, race, and medications, regression analyses indicated that, as a group, the I-I measures were significantly related to grip strength, physician disease severity rating, ESR, and total joint pain. When the predictive values of the I-I measures were tested controlling for the covariates and ESR, D-dimer was independently and significantly associated with variability in grip strength, physician disease severity, and AIMS physical disability, while TNF was associated with a significant amount of variability in total joint pain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antifibrinolytic Agents↗
PubMed1992

Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral approaches to chronic pain: recent advances and future directions.

Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral approaches to chronic pain are receiving increasing attention from researchers and clinicians. This article reviews and highlights recent research advances and future research directions. Assessment research reviewed includes studies examining the social context of pain, the relationship of chronic pain to depression, cognitive variables affecting pain, and comprehensive assessment measures. Treatment outcome studies reviewed are those evaluating the effects of behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments for chronic pain. These studies focus on comparisons of behavioral treatment with control conditions, comparisons of two behavioral treatments, and prevention of chronic pain. Future directions for assessment and treatment research are outlined.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1992

Spontaneous coping strategies to manage acute pain and anxiety during electrodiagnostic studies.

Electrodiagnostic studies produce both anxiety and pain, which can prevent adequate examination and limit the usefulness of test results. This study examined the spontaneous coping strategies used to manage the pain and anxiety experienced during electrodiagnostic testing. Fifty patients (26 women and 24 men) evaluated in our electrodiagnostic laboratory were administered visual analogue scale (VAS) pain and anxiety measures and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before the procedure. Immediately after the procedure, subjects reported pain, anxiety, and coping strategies used during electrodiagnostic testing using the VAS, the STAI, and a situation-specific version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ-S). The CSQ-S appears to be a valid and reliable measure of spontaneous coping strategies. Multiple-regression analyses revealed that frequent use of catastrophizing, diverting attention, and coping self-statement strategies was significantly and positively correlated with pain, whereas reinterpreting pain was significantly and negatively associated with pain. Judgments of control over pain were also significantly and negatively associated with anxiety experienced during electrodiagnostic studies. Physicians' ratings of pain and anxiety were highly correlated with patients' self-reports. This study suggests that ineffective coping strategies may enhance the pain and anxiety experienced during electromyography. Alternatively, teaching subjects active self-control skills and increasing patients' self-efficacy beliefs may help manage this situation-specific acute anxiety and, possibly, the associated pain.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Biofeedback as a means to alter electromyographic activity in a total knee replacement patient.

This paper presents a single case controlled study of a 75-year-old male having bilateral total knee replacement. Baseline EMG recordings demonstrated differential levels of vastus medialis and vastus lateralis muscle activity in both knees during exercise, with increased vastus lateralis activity compared to vastus medialis activity. The purpose of the study was to use electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback training to train the patient to equalize vastus medialis and vastus lateralis EMG activity during exercise. After 11 and 13 training sessions for the left and right knees, respectively, differences between vastus medialis and vastus lateralis activity had markedly decreased. Following the termination of biofeedback training, EMG activity during exercise showed a return toward baseline levels. Several concomitant changes in psychological and physical function were noted. These results suggested that EMG biofeedback can be used to train vastus medialis and vastus lateralis activity in total knee replacement patients, and that biofeedback training may produce positive benefits in other functional areas.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Coping strategies of patients with lung cancer-related pain.

Previous findings in patients with nonmalignant pain indicate a relationship between pain coping strategies and psychological factors. Although coping strategies have been explored in patients with cancer pain, relationships with such factors have not been reported. We wished to examine relationships between selected pain and psychological variables and the use of pain coping strategies. Forty-five patients with pain related to lung cancer indicated how they expressed their pain to others and completed the McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Visual Analogue Scale of pain intensity, and the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). Forty-two percent of the patients reported that they tried not to let others know they had pain, and 40% indicated they told others when they had pain. Preferences for not telling others was associated with more frequent pain coping attempts for all CSQ subscales but those of catastrophizing and reinterpreting pain sensation. State anxiety demonstrated positive correlation with catastrophizing coping strategies (r = 0.48) and negative correlation with ability to control (r = -0.50) and decrease (r = -0.50) pain. The number of pain sites was correlated with coping self-statements (r = 0.34). Pain intensity and state anxiety demonstrated similar relationships. Pain quality as measured with the MPQ demonstrated moderately strong correlation with diverting attention, praying and hoping, catastrophizing, and increased activity. Interventions aimed at reinforcing or expanding a patient's pain coping repertoire should be developed with consideration given to the patient's anxiety level, pain intensity, pain quality, and pain expression preference.

Adaptation, Psychological↗