[Pain intensity versus emotional state and activity in adolescents of cancer diseases].
Knowledge about pain, its mechanisms of origin and interaction, has been dynamically developing recently. However, the disease and pain influence on an adolescent patient, despite research, seems to be recognised insufficiently and needs further examination. Results of this work have confirmed such needs. Pain, fear, depression and activity of cancer patients were assessed in order to better understand interactions between those elements. Satisfaction with life, feeling of sense of life and its purpose were evaluated at the same time.


METHODS
82 adolescents, aged 14 to 20, hospitalized because of cancer participated in the study. Ethical considerations decided that patients in serious clinical state and terminal state were excluded. The study was based on the measurement tools as follow: numerical (NRS) and visual-analogue scale of pain intensity (VAS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, questionnaire to assess physical, social and intellectual activity--my own design, Purpose in Life Test, McGill Pain Questionnaire - Polish version.


RESULTS
The results showed main reasons of pain during hospitalization. The most common cause of pain were diagnostic and treatment procedures. In the cancer group, pain limited activity and pain influenced on fatigue. Fear and depression was observed in small percentage of patients. Correlation between pain, fear and depression showed significant relations. They had sense of aim and sense of life regardless of the group they belonged to.


CONCLUSIONS
Obtained results showed that adolescents experience many sources of suffering, both physical and emotional. Analysis of obtained results revealed necessity of deepening and widening research in that direction among adolescents experiencing pain in different stages of disease progression.
Cepuch
Grazyna
G
Instytut Pielegniarstwa i Połoznictwa, Wydział Nauk o Zdrowiu, Collegium Medicum, Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków.
Wordliczek
Jerzy
J
D000293:Adolescent; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult