Pilot study of pain and coping among patients with osteoarthritis: a daily diary analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Few studies have examined patterns of pain and coping among patients with osteoarthritis (OA). This pilot study used a daily diary approach to examine pain and coping strategy use among white and nonwhite veterans with OA.


METHODS
Participants (23 white, 13 nonwhite; 89% male; mean age = 63 years) completed diaries of pain (10-cm visual analog scale) and coping (total, problem-focused, and emotion-focused) for 30 days. Analyses examined relationships of mean self-reported pain severity and variability with coping strategy use as well as racial differences in these associations.


RESULTS
The mean pain level (4.46 [scale of 0-10], standard deviation [SD] = 2.12) and mean within-subject pain variance (1.94, SD = 1.79) were similar between white and nonwhite participants. With respect to pain variability, 2 distinct subgroups were observed, with approximately half of participants reporting high variability and half reporting low variability. The mean total coping score (on a scale of 0-7) was 2.62 (SD = 1.77), with problem-focused strategies being used more often than emotion-focused. There were no significant associations between coping (total, problem-focused, and emotion-focused) and mean pain severity, but the direction of these relationships differed according to race.


CONCLUSIONS
Results of this pilot study showed considerable between-subject variability in pain and coping strategy use as well as some racial differences. Medical treatment and self-management approaches may be improved if they can be tailored according to patients' pain patterns and preferred coping strategies.
Allen
Kelli D
KD
Health Services Research and Development Service, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA. domin004@mc.duke.edu
Golightly
Yvonne M
YM
Olsen
Maren K
MK
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans