Postoperatively distressed patients were more likely to develop chronic postsurgical pain. Psychological therapies, which are active, appear to be beneficial in reducing chronic postsurgical pain. The research described the experiences of preoperatively distressed (elevated depressive symptom, anxious symptoms, or pain catastrophizing) and non-distressed participants who received the psychologically based Perioperative Pain Self-Management (PePS) program. The study to collect participants’ impressions and feedback about their experience with the PePS program. Semi-structured interviews were carried out over the phone, audio-recorded, transcribed, and double-checked for accuracy. Using a quote matrix, we compared coded interviews to see whether there were any qualitative distinctions in what preoperatively distressed and non-distressed participants regarded as most and least beneficial about the treatment. About 21 people were interviewed, seven of whom were deemed distressed. Distressed persons found the most helpful part of the therapy to be learning how to reframe their suffering. Non-distressed people concentrated on the advantages of relaxation skill development in coping with post-surgical pain. Participants in both groups emphasized the importance of social support components of PePS and- identified goal-setting as difficult. The researchers discovered that distressed and non-distressed persons valued different pain management techniques offered by PePS. Participants commonly highlighted the value of social support offered by PePS.
Source:www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1524904221001582
