Gender Difference in Pain Management Among Adult Cancer Patients in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Assessment

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare gender differences in pain management among adult cancer patients in Saudi Arabia and to explore the predictors associated with attitudinal barriers of cancer patients to pain management.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 325 cancer patients from tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia.ResultOf the total participants, 67.4% were women (N = 219) and 32.6% were men (N = 106). The overall mean scores of the attitudinal barriers questionnaire were 49.51 ± 13.73 in men and 54.80 ± 22.53 in women. The analysis shows significant differences in scores in subscales of tolerance (men = 7.48 ± 2.37), (women = 8.41 ± 3.01) (p = 0.003) and fear of distraction in the course of treatment (men = 6.55 ± 1.34), and (women = 7.15 ± 2.63) (p = 0.008). Female patients reported a more moderate to severe level of pain than men (worst pain in last week of 7.07 ± 1.50, worst pain in last week of 5.84 ± 2.65, respectively). Splitting by gender, the significant predictor for physiology effect domains in male cancer patients includes age, marital status, employment status, monthly income, cancer type, and presence of comorbid disease (p < 0.050). Age was a significant predictor of the domains of fatalism, communication, and harmful effects (p < 0.050) among female cancer patients.ConclusionThe present study revealed significant differences between men and women with attitudinal barriers to cancer pain management. Managing pain requires the involvement of all methods in a comprehensive manner, thus unalleviated pain influences the patient’s psychological or cognitive aspect.

An international study of clinical, demographic and competence-related determinants of communication with professionals

“…Males reported higher communication scores in most areas than females did. These results are in line with those from a study on communication in cancer patients with pain [23].…”

“…Higher communication scores were expected from older patients [18], male patients [19,20], and patients with higher levels of education [17,21]. Higher scores were also expected from patients at initial disease stages [22], those without comorbidity [23], those who had previously received oncological treatment or treatment from the same doctor or group of nurses, and those with higher levels of communication competence [10]. Higher scores were also expected in communication with nurses [24].…”

Identifying Barriers to Effective Cancer Pain Management in Oman: Implications for Palliative Care

“…The observed barriers to pain management in our study resonate with patterns identified in the broader Middle Eastern context, suggesting a regional trend shaped by cultural and educational factors that influence patient attitudes. Our findings align with barrier levels documented in Jordan [ 17 ], Saudi Arabia [ 18 ], and the United Arab Emirates [ 19 ], highlighting a regional consistency potentially rooted in shared cultural and health beliefs. Notably, the Barriers Questionnaire (BQ) scores from this study exceed those from diverse cultural settings such as the United States, Turkey, and Ireland, suggesting that culture influences the perception and management of pain across different societies [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

CLinician and patient characteristics effect on Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions (CLASI) study

“…Across a variety of disease states, male patients have been shown to receive better care than female patients. 16–18 In our study, more rules were reviewed for male patients (male, 57.4%, female 42.6%), but the clinician intervened more often for female patients. It is unclear whether these male-to-female rule proportions follow the gender split of hospitalized patients during the study timeframe, which could be an influencing factor on number of rules per gender.…”