Predictors of quality of life among older patients with cancer during treatment

The Role of Pain Catastrophizing, Emotional Intelligence, and Pain Intensity in the Quality of Life of Cancer Patients with Chronic Pain

Pain catastrophizing (PC) is a negative cognitive distortion to actual or anticipated pain. This study aims to investigate the relationship between pain catastrophizing, emotional intelligence, pain intensity, and quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients with chronic pain. Eighty-nine outpatients with chronic pain attending pain clinics and palliative care units were recruited. Participants were men (42.7%) and women (57.3%) with an average age of 56.44 years (SD = 14.82). Self-report psychological measures were completed, including a measure of emotional intelligence, a standard measure of PC, a scale assessing pain intensity, and a scale measuring QoL. The PC scale was found to assess three correlated yet different dimensions of pain catastrophizing (helplessness, magnification, and rumination). Moreover, as expected, patients with PC scale scores ≥ 30 had lower scores in functional QoL dimensions and higher scores in the fatigue, pain, and insomnia symptom dimensions. Regression analyses demonstrated that PC (B = − 0.391, p = 0.004), pain intensity (B = − 1.133, p < 0.001), and education (B = 2.915, p = 0.017) remained the only significant variables related to QoL, when controlling for demographic and clinical confounders. Regarding mediating effects, PC and pain intensity were jointly found to be significant mediators in the relationship between emotional intelligence and QoL. Results are discussed in the context of the clinical implications regarding interventions designed to improve cancer patients’ quality of life and offer new insight, understanding, and evaluation targets in the field of pain management.

Mindfulness and its Positive Effect on Quality of Life among Chronic Burn Survivors: A descriptive Correlational Study

BACKGROUND

Burns are a global public health phenomenon accounting for 180,000 deaths yearly. Burn wounds were considered among the most devastating injuries worldwide and is the fourth most common type of injury globally. It is also negatively associated with the quality of life of those patients. Improving the quality of life and mindfulness could be helpful in those survivors after burn injury to deal with others. Based on the findings of the study, there remains limited knowledge about the unique role of mindfulness in improving the quality of life of burn survivors. Therefore, this study aims to identify the role of mindfulness in improving the QOL of Jordanian burn survivors.

METHODS

A descriptive correlational design was used to answer the research questions. A convenience sample of 212 participants took part in the study. Participants completed measures regarding the quality of life and mindfulness.

RESULTS

Some demographic and clinical variables were associated with quality of life. The burn-related QOL was significantly and positively correlated with mindfulness (r = .294, p < 0.01). Mindfulness explained a distinctive variance in burn-related quality of life among the study participants.

CONCLUSION

This study identified the role of various factors in the burn-related quality of life among burn survivors. Mindfulness could have an important role in improving the burn-related quality of life among burn survivors.