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Schmerzempfinden und Schmerzverarbeitung
Abstract Objects of interest are the subjective importance of pain together with characteristics of pain experience and its interrelationship with the psychological situation of old people. For almost two thirds of participants, 260 of the 400 between the ages of 75 and 95, pain turned out to be an issue of medium or great importance in the interviews. The detailed pain protocols created for these individuals did not reveal any statistically significant correlations between the frequency and intensity of pain and the ten characteristics of the psychological situation that were operationalized by psychometric scales. Concerning the extent of pain control, there were (highly) significant correlations to optimism, a sense of coherence, perceived developmental gains and life satisfaction. The results suggest that (a) pain therapies in old age are still not sufficiently successful, (b) the experience of pain is embedded in an overall physical, psychological and socio-cultural situation that on the one hand moderates the relationship between pain and characteristics of the psychological situation, and on the other hand influences the psychological situation independently of pain experience. Against this background, differentiated pain diagnostics and pain therapy tailored to individual needs and preferences are important starting points for health promotion and preventive care in old age.
Keywords Chronic pain, pain experience, pain therapy, prevention in old age, psychological situation in old age
