Correlates of Severe Pain: Descriptive Study among Patients with Cancer in Sri Lanka

The most prevalent and unpleasant symptom that cancer patients encounter is pain. Pain is a highly subjective feeling resulting from the intricate interaction of bio-psycho-social aspects of the individual. The study aims to describe the correlates of severe pain in cancer patients in Sri Lanka. Methods: The descriptive study involved 384 cancer patients from Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama. Patients over 18 years who experienced cancer pain for three months or more, related to the primary lesion, secondary lesions, radiation, or chemotherapy were eligible. Patients whose pain is due to a non-cancerous source, triggered under three months of the assessment, and those who are too frail or disoriented with evidence of brain metastases are either unable or unwilling to give informed consent were excluded. The patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were recruited using the consecutive sampling method. The correlates of severe pain were determined using logistic regression A validated Sinhala version of the Short Form Brief Pain Inventory and a pre-tested socio-demographic questionnaire was used to collect data. The correlates of severe pain were determined using logistic regression. Statistically significant correlation was shown between severe pain and ‘male gender’, (AOR=1.723; p=0.035); ‘being in marriage’ (AOR =1.947; p=0.026); ‘patients with no perceived family commitments’ (AOR=1.8; p=0.013) and pain of three months or more duration (AOR = 1.76; p=0.021). In conclusion it is discovered that the severe pain is positively correlated with males, ‘being in a marriage,’ ‘no perceived family commitments, and in pain for over a three months duration. Keywords: Cancer pain; associated factors; correlates; Sri Lanka