Pain
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Adults with chronic pain cite social support (SS) as an important resource. Research has mostly focused on general SS or pain-specific solicitousness, resulting in a limited understanding of the role of SS in pain experiences. Drawing on SS theoretical models, this review aimed to understand how pain-related SS has been conceptualized and measured and how its relationship with pain experiences has been investigated. ⋯ Only a minority investigated the role of pain SS within the stress and coping process (as a buffer or mediator). Little is known about mediating pathways, contextual modulation of the effectiveness of SS exchanges, and there are practically no SS-based intervention studies. Drawing on general SS models, the main gaps in pain-related SS research are discussed and research directions for moving this literature beyond solicitousness are proposed.
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Review
The prevalence of neuropathic pain is high after treatment for breast cancer: a systematic review.
Pain is common, but often poorly managed after breast cancer treatment. Screening questionnaires and the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group (NeuPSIG) criteria are 2 clinical approaches used to determine whether pain has neuropathic components, which may enable better pain management. The aims of this review were (1) to synthesise data from the literature on neuropathic pain prevalence in women after breast cancer treatment; (2) to investigate whether the prevalence of neuropathic pain differed between studies using screening questionnaires and the NeuPSIG criteria. ⋯ Among all participants treated for early-stage breast cancer, pooled prevalence estimates (95% confidence interval) ranged between 14.2% (8.3-21.4) and 27.2% (24.7-88.4) for studies using screening questionnaires; studies using NeuPSIG criteria reported prevalence rates from 24.1% to 31.3%. Among those who reported pain after treatment, the pooled prevalence estimate (95% confidence interval) of neuropathic pain from screening questionnaires ranged from 32.6% (24.2-41.6) to 58.2% (24.7-88.4); studies using NeuPSIG criteria reported prevalence rates from 29.5% to 57.1%. These prevalence estimates are higher than those reported for other types of cancer, and emphasise the need to assess the contribution of neuropathic pain after breast cancer treatment.