Caregiving in the presence of chronic pain

Chronic pain sufferers and caregivers share the risk of higher levels of psychological distress and adverse effects on well-being. This study examined the joint impact of chronic pain and primary caregiving on older people.

Data came from the New South Wales (NSW) Older People's Health Survey 1999, a state-wide general health survey of over 9000 NSW residents 65 years old or older. Using survey logistic regression modeling, we examined the relationship between chronic pain with different levels of disability, caregiving status, self-reported physical functioning, and two dependent variables--poor/fair self-rated health and psychological distress.

Caregivers with chronic pain reported more psychological distress and poorer self-rated health than caregivers without pain, when both were compared to noncaregivers without pain (age-adjusted and sex-adjusted odds ratios [ORs] for caregivers with pain were 3.4 and 2.8, respectively, both p <.001). Caregivers with pain and noncaregivers with pain had similar patterns of results. Physical function significantly declined for both caregivers and noncaregivers with pain when compared with noncaregivers without pain.

Older people coping with caregiving and chronic pain are a potentially vulnerable group. Chronic pain status should be ascertained in older people who are caregivers, with particular attention to the issue of caregiver psychological distress and physical well-being.