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Correlates of pain intensity in community-dwelling individuals with mild to moderate dementia.

Breland JY, Barrera TL, Snow AL, Sansgiry S, Stanley MA, Wilson N, Amspoker AB, Kunik ME. Correlates of pain intensity in community-dwelling individuals with mild to moderate dementia. American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. 2015 May 1; 30(3):320-5.

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Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: To identify correlates of participant-reported pain in community-dwelling individuals with mild to moderate dementia. METHODOLOGY: Associations among participant-reported pain intensity and depressive symptoms, mental health diagnoses, pain diagnoses, pain medications, level of functional ability, and cognitive impairment were assessed in 136 community-dwelling veterans with mild to moderate dementia and pain. Univariate and multiple regressions were used to assess relationships among the independent variables and participant-reported pain. RESULTS: Pain diagnoses ( = .23, t 132 = 2.65, P < .01) and pain medications ( = .21, t 132 = 2.48, P < .05) were correlated with participant-reported pain intensity in univariate regression models. Only pain diagnoses ( = .20, t 132 = 2.17, P < .05) remained a significant predictor in adjusted models. CONCLUSION: Participant-reported pain in individuals with dementia appears to be a unique construct for which other psychosocial indicators cannot be substituted. Therefore, directly asking community-dwelling individuals with mild to moderate dementia about their pain is a critical component of assessment.




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