Relationship between pain and Quality of Life—Findings from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care—Blekinge study

Abstract

Background and aims The influence of pain as well as Quality of Life (QoL) varies in accordance with biological, social, psychological and existential factors. This study investigates the influence of such factors on the relationship between pain and QoL among older adults from a gender perspective. Methods The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care (SNAC-Blekinge) baseline sample comprised 1402 individuals aged 60-96 years, of whom 769 (55%) reported pain. The participants were invited by a letter to take part in the study, which was carried out by research staff in two sessions of three hour each. Participants gave informed consent and completed a questionnaire between the two sessions. The reason for non-participation was registered among subjects who declined the invitation. Pain and insomnia were self-reported. Data on age, gender and if living alone or not were collected from the questionnaire. Co-morbidity was obtained from electronic patients records for a period of up to two years prior to participating in the SNAC study. SoC was measured by a translated short form from the original twenty-nine question instrument. QoL, was estimated using the HRQL Medical Outcome Study-Short Form (SF 12). In a model, pain, age, sex, insomnia, co-morbidity, living alone, sense of coherence (SOC), household economy, education and QoL were calculated through multivariate logistic regression. Results Among women, pain was found to have the highest OR (odds ratio) for low QoL [OR 2.27 (CI 1.36-3.78)], followed by low economic status [OR 1.75 (CI 1.08-2.84)], co-morbidity [OR 1.24 (CI 1.05-1.46)], low SOC [OR 1.08 (CI 1.06-1.10)] and lower age [OR 1.05 (CI 1.02-1.08)]. In men, insomnia was found to be the main contributor to low QoL [OR 1.86 (CI 1.04-3.33)], followed by low SOC [OR 1.08 (CI 1.05-1.11)] and lower age [OR 1.04 (CI 1.01-1.07)]. Conclusions Pain has a strong relationship with low QoL among elderly women. Insomnia is associated with low QoL among men who suffer less from pain. Thus the main result is a striking gender difference: Elderly women suffer from pain, elderly men suffer from insomnia. Implications It is importanttotake accountof sex, age, sleep problems, co-morbidity, SOC and economic status in order to understand the relationship between pain and QoL among older adults.

Violência contra idosos e qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde: estudo populacional no município de São Paulo, Brasil

“…Embora o foco do presente estudo tenha incidido na relação entre a violência e os componentes físico e mental da QVRS de idosos, cabe ressaltar que outras variáveis também se mostraram significativamente associadas aos desfechos analisados. As associações com incapacidade funcional para atividades da vida diária, multimorbidade, dor e sintomas depressivos são congruentes com outros estudos 16,[53][54][55][56] e ratificam a necessidade de detecção e manejo de condições físicas e psíquicas que possam comprometer a QVRS de idosos.…”

Low health related quality of life (QoL) in older adults is associated with chronic pain in women and with disturbed sleep in men

“…Lena Sandin Wranker and co-workers [1] confirm that a low health related quality of life is associated with chronic pain, especially in women. This has been documented repeatedly by others, e.g.…”

“…The older male persons in the Lena Sandin Wranker et al [1] survey were suffering more from insomnia than the female persons, and their insomnia was associated with low QoL.…”

Analyzing the situation of older family caregivers with a focus on health-related quality of life and pain: a cross-sectional cohort study

“…Gender must also be taken into consideration in studies on older caregivers, as pain is reported more frequently among elderly female caregivers than their male counterparts [21]. Kristensson Ekwall et al [22] found that female caregivers were more vulnerable to the negative consequences of caregiving, as they found less satisfaction in care than males did and therefore might require greater consideration as family caregivers.…”

“…This should preferably be supplemented with other, more detailed measures of quality of life when used among older people, as it is short (fewer questions make it easier to answer) and does not include questions about work [24]. In literature, it has been stressed that the relations between mobility, functional ability, and HRQoL are important to consider in older people with pain [21], since pain may affect mobility and functional ability, as well as HRQoL.…”