The Effects of Pain on Health-Related Quality of Life and Satisfaction With Life in Older Adults


Simsek I. E., Simsek T. T., Yumin E. T., Sertel M., Ozturk A., Yumin M.

TOPICS IN GERIATRIC REHABILITATION, vol.26, no.4, pp.361-367, 2010 (SSCI) identifier identifier

Abstract

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the relations between pain, health-related quality of life, and satisfaction with life in older adults above the age of 65 years. Subjects and methods: A total of 163 subjects, 58 (35.6%) females and 105 (64.4%) males, with an average age of 73.26 +/- 6.58 years participated in the study. After gathering sociodemographic data, Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was used to assess health-related quality of life. Satisfaction with life and level of pain were evaluated using Visual Analogue Scale. Results: Eighty-eight (54%) subjects reported pain that mainly originated from lower back, knees, and extremities with an average Visual Analogue Scale score of 5.75 +/- 2.18. There were significant differences between older adults reporting pain and those who did not report pain in the aspects of satisfaction with life and NHP (total and all subscales) (P < .05). Also, severity of pain was found to have a negative effect on NHP and social isolation subscale (NHP) (P < .05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the adverse impact of pain on quality of life. Pain is a significant problem and needs to be routinely assessed and treated in older-adult population.