Severity, interference, qualities, and correlates of severe pain: Descriptive cross-sectional study on pain experience of cancer patients in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Objective Pain is the most debilitating and subjective experience of cancer patients. This study examines the severity, interference, characteristics, and associations of severe pain in Sri Lankan cancer patients. Methods A descriptive study was conducted in Sri Lanka on 384 patients at age 18 or older who had cancer pain for 3 months or more due to the initial lesion, secondaries, radiation, or chemotherapy. Patients with non-cancerous pain or brain metastases were excluded. Data was collected using a validated Sinhala version of the Short-Form Brief Pain Inventory and the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2. Logistic regression was used to identify severe pain correlations. Results The mean of the “worst pain” experience was 7.97, and 73.2% reported their “worst pain” as severe. The “normal works” (62.5%) and “sleep” (58.3%) were severely influenced by pain. “Aching pain,” was the most reported pain quality. A statistically significant association was shown between severe pain and male gender (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.723), being in marriage (AOR = 1.947), absence of family commitments (AOR = 1.8), and pain of 3 months or more duration (AOR = 1.76). Conclusion The experiences of cancer pain vary, with the majority suffering from severe pain.