Patient controlled analgesia: the relation of psychological factors to pain and analgesic use in adolescents with postoperative pain.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship of psychological variables to pain and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) use in adolescents undergoing orthopedic surgeries.


METHODS
Cohort.


METHODS
Fifty adolescents and their parents.


METHODS
Visual analogue scales of pain, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, and questionnaires that assessed overall psychological distress, anxiety, and family environment.


RESULTS
Correlations of the psychological variables with measures of pain and PCA use showed that high levels of anxiety and distress in adolescents were related to higher postoperative pain. Adolescents from controlling and conflicted families also had higher pain ratings and made more frequent PCA demands during the lockout interval when drug was unavailable. Parent anxiety and distress were also related to adolescent pain and PCA use.


CONCLUSIONS
The psychological status of adolescents and their parents can significantly influence postoperative pain and PCA use.
Gil
K M
KM
Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710.
Ginsberg
B
B
Muir
M
M
Sullivan
F
F
Williams
D A
DA
D000293:Adolescent; D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents