PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Judith A Turner

Publications and source records attributed to Judith A Turner.

80 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Depression in chronic pain patients: relation to pain, activity, and sex differences.

Depression is commonly reported among chronic pain patients and receiving increased attention from clinicians and researchers. There is, however, little empirical evidence concerning variables that differentiate depressed from non-depressed chronic pain patients, and whether depression is related to factors such as gender, pain report, and activity. As part of a study to address these questions, 63 chronic pain patients completed daily diaries of activity, pain levels, and medication intake, and completed questionnaires and interviews assessing depression, medical history, and demographic variables. Male and female depressed and non-depressed chronic pain patients did not differ on demographic and medical history data, but sex differences were found in patterns of the relationships of depression, activity, and pain. For women, depression was closely related to pain report, whereas for men depression was more strongly related to impairment of activity. Pain report was related only minimally to activity for male and female patients. Implications of the results of behavioral research on depression in chronic pain patients are discussed. Researchers are urged to carefully consider sex differences in future research with chronic pain patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1982

Self-reported vs. actual use of medications in chronic pain patients.

Inappropriate or excessive medication use is a commonly observed problem among patients with chronic pain. Comparing patients' self-reported drug use with actual observed drug use, this study examines the incidence, nature and magnitude of drug utilization in a selected population of pain patients and evaluates the reliability of patient estimates of their own drug use. The data support the clinical observation that patients with chronic pain tend to underestimate their medication use. This tendency is greater for narcotic analgesics than for a variety of other medications taken for pain and is greater for women than men.

Analgesics, Opioid↗
PubMed1982

Drug utilization patterns in chronic pain patients.

In the population of chronic pain patients seen at multidisciplinary pain clinics, excessive and/or inappropriate medication use is a frequent problem. This study examined differences between chronic pain patients who used no addicting medication (30% of the sample of 131 patients), those who used narcotic but not sedative medications (33%) and those who used both narcotic and sedative medications (37%). Patients in the narcotic and narcotic-sedative groups had undergone significantly more pain-related hospitalizations and surgeries than those in the no addicting drugs group. Narcotic-sedative patients spent significantly more money on pain medication per month, reported significantly greater physical impairment, and had higher MMPI hypochondriasis and hysteria scores when compared to the other patients. The findings are interpreted in light of the hypothesis that certain patients show greater readiness to complain of and seek help for physical symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Treatments for chronic pain associated with spinal cord injuries: many are tried, few are helpful.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate, in two community samples of people with spinal cord injuries, the frequency of use of different pain treatments and the perceived helpfulness of these treatments. DESIGN AND SETTING: A postal survey was conducted in the community. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were 471 persons aged 18 years or older who had spinal cord injuries and pain. There were 2 separate samples (n = 308 and n = 163). OUTCOME MEASURES: The pain treatments used, the helpfulness of these treatments, and the Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire answers were assessed. RESULTS: Respondents reported multiple pain treatments (range of 0-14 and median of 4 in sample 1; range of 0-16 and median of 4 in sample 2). The most commonly reported treatments were oral medications and physical therapy. Medication types most commonly reported were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, and opioids. The treatments rated as most helpful were opioid medications, physical therapy, and diazepam therapy, and those rated as least helpful were spinal cord stimulation, counseling or psychotherapy, administration of acetaminophen, and administration of amitriptyline. Alternative treatments reported as most helpful were massage therapy and use of marijuana. Acupuncture was tried by many but was rated as only moderately helpful. CONCLUSIONS: This survey of two large samples of community-dwelling individuals with spinal cord injury-related chronic pain indicates that multiple pain treatments are tried but only a few are rated as more than somewhat helpful. Furthermore, the treatments that are most commonly reported are not always those that are rated as most helpful. The findings point to a number of potentially fruitful directions for future research.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chronic pain secondary to disability: a review.

BACKGROUND: Until recently, very little has been written regarding chronic pain as a secondary problem in persons who already have a physical disability, despite the potential for pain to increase the negative impact of what may already be a very disabling condition. The purpose of this review is to summarize what is currently known concerning the nature and scope of chronic pain as a secondary condition to disability, specifically spinal cord injury, acquired amputations, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disease, and postpolio syndrome. METHOD: What is known concerning the frequency, severity, impact, and treatment of pain in these specific conditions is reviewed, as are the factors that contribute to, or are associated with, adjustment to chronic pain in these disability groups. The authors conclude with several research questions that emerge from this knowledge, the answers to which will contribute to the long-term goal of the reduction of pain and suffering in persons with disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: The existing literature clearly documents that many persons with disabilities experience chronic pain. Many questions remain unanswered regarding the scope, severity, and treatment of chronic pain in these groups.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of a self-management group intervention for elderly persons with chronic pain.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of a self-management group intervention in improving physical functioning, mood, and pain among elderly persons with chronic pain, and to identify factors that may be associated with improvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five residents of three retirement communities (86% women; mean age, 82.0 years) were assigned randomly to a 7-week pain self-management group or an educational booklet control condition. Participants completed self-report measures of pain, functioning, depression, and pain-related beliefs at baseline, 9 weeks later (after treatment), and 3 months after the post-treatment assessment. RESULTS: The self-management group showed significantly greater pre- to post-treatment improvement in physical role function (P = 0.04) and characteristic pain intensity (P = 0.02). No significant differences were found between groups on measures of pain-related activity interference, depression, and pain-related beliefs. Improvement in characteristic pain and physical role function was not associated with baseline depression scores, pretreatment expectations, or changes in pain-related beliefs. DISCUSSION: This study provides preliminary support for the efficacy of a self-management group intervention for older adults with chronic pain and has implications for future studies of such approaches for this and similar populations.

Aged↗