Experiences of Urban African Americans with Cancer Pain

A Qualitative Study of the Pain Experience of Black Individuals With Cancer Taking Long-Acting Opioids

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the experience of Black individuals with cancer taking long-acting opioids for cancer pain.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe the day-to-day experience of living with pain and the experiences of taking opioids for pain management among Black individuals with cancer prescribed with long-acting opioids.

METHODS

This qualitative descriptive study was part of a larger investigation focused on opioid adherence. Participants (N = 14) were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide. Analysis followed conventional content analysis and constant comparison approaches. Sociodemographics, clinical information, and the Brief Pain Inventory form were collected.

RESULTS

The majority of the subsample was female (64.3%), not married (78.6%), and with a median age of 52.5 years. Participants were taking either MS Contin (85.7%) or OxyContin (14.3%). The Brief Pain Inventory median "average" pain severity scores and pain interference scores were 5.1/10 (interquartile range [IQR] = 6.1) and 3.5/10 (IQR = 6.7), respectively. Three themes are reported from the analyses: desire for control, barriers to pain relief, and isolation versus connectedness.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlight the persistent nature of moderate to severe cancer pain and how pain and its treatment interfere with patients' lives. The findings describe ways that patients learn to manage and exert control over pain despite conflicting attitudes and dealing with opioid stigma.

IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE

Clinicians should partner with patients with cancer, especially people of color, who may experience intersecting stigmas related to their cancer pain and opioid use, to best provide an individualized and culturally sensitive pain treatment plan.

Pain, depressive symptoms, and self-efficacy for pain management: examination in African-American women with breast cancer

PURPOSE

African-American women with breast cancer face significant disparities, including high levels of pain. Depressive symptoms and self-efficacy for pain management impact how women with breast cancer manage pain, yet little is known about how these variables relate to pain specifically for African-American women with breast cancer.

METHODS

Baseline linear regression analyses were conducted using a sample of women (n = 98) with stage I-III breast cancer identifying as Black or African-American who were part of a larger intervention trial. Linear regressions explored the effect of depressive symptoms on pain (i.e., severity and interference), and the effect of self-efficacy for pain management on pain. Covariates were age (M = 57.22, SD = 10.76), cancer stage (50% = stage 1), and education level (36% = some college).

RESULTS

Participants reported moderate levels of pain severity and interference. Higher depressive symptoms were related to both higher pain severity and interference; (B = 0.06, p < 0.01, 95% CI [0.02,0.09]) and (B = 0.13, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.09, 0.17]) respectively. Likewise, lower self-efficacy for pain management was also related to both higher pain severity and interference; (B =  - 0.04, p < 0.001, 95% CI [- 0.05, - 0.02]) and (B =  - 0.06, p < 0.001, 95% CI [- 0.08, - 0.04]) respectively. Women reporting less than a high school diploma endorsed significantly higher pain severity and interference than women reporting some college. Age and cancer stage were not significantly related to pain.

CONCLUSION

Pain for African-American women with breast cancer may be influenced by depressive symptoms and self-efficacy for pain management, in addition to other important variables. Attending to better assessment and treatment of depressive symptoms and self-efficacy for pain management may improve outcomes.

The Experience of Complex Pain Dynamics in Oncology Outpatients: A Longitudinal Qualitative Analysis

BACKGROUND

Few qualitative studies of cancer patients' everyday experiences with pain exist within the large body of cancer pain research. Longitudinal qualitative studies are particularly sparse, and no studies have qualitatively described patients' pain experience over time during participation in a self-management intervention.

OBJECTIVE

To longitudinally describe patients' pain experiences during a 10-week pain self-management intervention.

METHODS

This qualitative study was embedded in a randomized controlled trial of a psychoeducational pain management intervention. The data consisted of transcribed audio recordings of each intervention session. An emergent, interpretive approach was used in this longitudinal qualitative analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-two adult patients were included. The analysis revealed the strikingly dynamic nature of individual patient's pain experiences. Multiple facets of pain contributed to its dynamic nature, including pain in changing locations, co-occurring sources of pain, and varying patterns of pain intensity over time. For individual patients, the cumulative effect of these multiple facets resulted in a phenomenon we termed "complex pain dynamics."

CONCLUSION

The results contribute to knowledge about the dynamic nature of cancer patients' pain experiences over a relatively short period. They suggest the need for a new paradigm for management of pain in cancer patients and raise questions about the interpretation of randomized controlled trial results in the absence of qualitative data.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Frequent assessments and reassessments of pain are needed in cancer patients with the ongoing development of highly individualized self-management strategies. A large repertoire of interventions is needed to effectively manage pain in cancer patients over time.