TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2006//
TI  - Is pain a significant factor in elder self-neglect?
JO  - Journal of elder abuse and neglect
A1  - Dyer, Carmel Bitondo
A1  - Holmes, Holly M.
A1  - Pickens, Sabrina
A1  - Naik, Aanand D.
A1  - Burnett, J.
SP  - 51
EP  - 61
VL  - 18
IS  - 4
N2  - PURPOSE: Pain is a worldwide health concern leading to cognitive impairments, depression, and decline in activities of daily living when poorly controlled. Self-neglect is also a serious public health issue being the most common allegation reported to Adult Protective Services (APS). The purpose of this analysis is to determine whether self-reported pain is associated with validated cases of self-neglect compared with matched controls. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of 80 (APS) validated cases of self-neglect aged 65 years and older and 80 control participants recruited from a geriatric clinic at Harris County Hospital District. Control participants were matched for age, race, gender, and zip code. Both groups were administered the Wong-Baker FACES rating scale and the Mini-Mental State Examination in their homes by a geriatric nurse practitioner and a research assistant. SUMMARY OF RESULTS: Self-reported pain was noted in 43% of the self-neglect group compared with only 28% in the control group (X2 = 3.85, df = 1, p = .05). This difference became non-significant after stratifying for MMSE scores of 19 or greater (X2 = 3.38, df = 1, p = .066). The self-neglecting elderly also reported significantly higher levels of pain compared with the matched controls (t = 2.5, df = 143, p = .014). This mean difference remained significant after stratifying by MMSE scores of 19 or greater (t = 2.6, df = 124, p = .009). CONCLUSION: The data provide preliminary support for the relationship between self-reported pain and elder self-neglect. Research is needed to determine whether pain is a causal or associated factor in self-neglect and whether therapeutic intervention can improve the syndrome of self-neglect.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0894-6566
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -