Date of Award
Spring 1987
Document Type
Thesis - Restricted
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Nursing
Abstract
Chronic pain is a growing health problem in the adult population. Nurses working with patients with chronic pain have a responsibility to help them manage a health problem that has often eluded medicine's attempts to find a cure. Chronic pain, unlike acute pain, is very difficult to resolve. The interventions for chronic pain are all too often aimed at the sensory mechanisms of pain. Little regard is given for the influence of psychological factors which individualize any pain experience, and make resolution of chronic pain a new challenge each time it is encountered by a nurse. One hope for more effective interventions in the management of chronic pain lies in complete assessment of the psychological component of the pain experience. The psychological component includes; personality traits, emotional state, and a cognitive dimension. After reviewing the literature it is apparent that assessment instruments are particularly needed for factors in the cognitive dimension of the psychological component . This review of the literature culminated in the development of an interview guide for assessing the influence of the cognitive dimension in the experience of chronic pain.
Recommended Citation
Kennedy, Lynn C., "The Psychological Component of Chronic Pain : Implications for Nursing Assessment and Interview Guide for the Cognitive Dimension" (1987). Master's Theses (1922-2009) Access restricted to Marquette Campus. 3370.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/theses/3370