Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Large Type Edition
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Blyth, F. M.
Right arrow Articles by Cousins, M. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Blyth, F. M.
Right arrow Articles by Cousins, M. J.
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 63:399-407 (2008)
© 2008 The Gerontological Society of America

Caregiving in the Presence of Chronic Pain

Fiona M. Blyth, Robert G. Cumming, Alan J. M. Brnabic and Michael J. Cousins

1 Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Hospital, University of Sydney, Australia.
2 Pain Management and Research Institute, Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, Australia.
3 School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia.
4 ABC Consulting, Croydon New South Wales, Australia.

Address correspondence to Fiona M. Blyth, PhD, Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Hospital, Concord, NSW 2139, Australia. E-mail: fblyth{at}med.usyd.edu.au

Background. Chronic pain sufferers and caregivers share the risk of higher levels of psychological distress and adverse effects on well-being. This study examined the joint impact of chronic pain and primary caregiving on older people.

Methods. Data came from the New South Wales (NSW) Older People's Health Survey 1999, a state-wide general health survey of over 9000 NSW residents 65 years old or older. Using survey logistic regression modeling, we examined the relationship between chronic pain with different levels of disability, caregiving status, self-reported physical functioning, and two dependent variables—poor/fair self-rated health and psychological distress.

Results. Caregivers with chronic pain reported more psychological distress and poorer self-rated health than caregivers without pain, when both were compared to noncaregivers without pain (age-adjusted and sex-adjusted odds ratios [ORs] for caregivers with pain were 3.4 and 2.8, respectively, both p <.001). Caregivers with pain and noncaregivers with pain had similar patterns of results. Physical function significantly declined for both caregivers and noncaregivers with pain when compared with noncaregivers without pain.

Conclusions. Older people coping with caregiving and chronic pain are a potentially vulnerable group. Chronic pain status should be ascertained in older people who are caregivers, with particular attention to the issue of caregiver psychological distress and physical well-being.

Key Words: Caregivers • Chronic pain • Well-being






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Copyright © 2008 by The Gerontological Society of America.