Pain severity, coping and satisfaction with life in patients with chronic pain

Objectives: The primary study aim was to determine whether or not a statistically significant relationship exists between pain severity and satisfaction with life in patients with chronic pain. The second aim was to explore the extent to which coping responses might influence this relationship.Design: A cross-sectional non-experimental research design was employed.Setting and subjects: A sample of 172 adults suffering from chronic pain was recruited from the outpatient clinic at the Pain Control Unit at Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein.Outcome measures: Participants completed measures of pain severity (Pain Severity Scale of the West-Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory), satisfaction with life (Satisfaction with Life Scale) and coping responses (Coping Responses Inventory-Adult version).Analysis: Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between the measures of pain severity and satisfaction with life. Regression analyses were employed to explore the effect of coping responses on the relationship between pain severity and satisfaction with life.Results: A statistically significant negative correlation was apparent between pain severity and satisfaction with life. Approach coping was found to moderate the relationship between pain severity and satisfaction with life, while avoidance coping appeared to have no significant effect on this relationship. The relationship between pain severity and satisfaction with life appears to change as a function of the level of approach coping exhibited by individuals suffering from chronic pain.Conclusion: Satisfaction with life significantly correlates with pain severity in patients with chronic pain. Approach coping moderates this relationship.South Afr J Anaesth Analg 2013;19(5):252-25

Changing students’ moral reasoning ability – is it at all possible?

Background. Ethics training at tertiary level is important to facilitate an understanding of patient dignity and respect. Traditionally, ethics has been taught in the form of didactic lectures; however, the authors are of the opinion that practical applications are more useful.Objective. To measure students’ moral reasoning frameworks before and after an intensive course in medical ethics. Methods. The study cohort was given a pre- and post-test of the moral behaviour scale (MBS). The t-test for matched scores was performed to determine the presence of significant differences between the mean pre- and post-test scores for the 5 scales of the MBS.Results. The study showed that there was a change in the students’ moral behaviour when a specific course structure was evaluated.Conclusion. A combination of didactic and Socratic methodology of training had some effect on the moral reasoning ability of healthcare students

The role of coping responses in the relationship between perceived stress and satisfaction with life amongst chronic pain patients

Background: This study aimed to determine the effect of coping responses on the relationship between perceived stress and satisfaction with life in a sample of chronic pain patients. Methods: One hundred and seventy-two adult outpatients at the Pain Control Unit at Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein completed measures of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), satisfaction with life (Satisfaction with Life Scale) and coping responses (Coping Responses Inventory – Adult Version). Descriptive statistics were calculated for the sample. Correlation coef cients were calculated between perceived stress and satisfaction with life. Regression analyses were employed to determine the effect of coping responses on the relationship between perceived stress and satisfaction with life. Results: A statistically signi cant negative correlation was found between perceived stress and satisfaction with life. Approach coping moderates the relationship between perceived stress and satisfaction with life, while avoidance coping has no effect on the relationship. The relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction therefore appears to change as a function of the level of approach coping that patients with chronic pain exhibit. Conclusion: Approach coping moderates the relationship between perceived stress and satisfaction with life amongst chronic pain patients.Keywords: coping; perceived stress; satisfaction with life; chronic pai

Sense of humour and adolescents’ cognitive flexibility

Objective: There is a lack of research on humour among adolescents in South Africa. This article examines cognitive flexibility and humour. The objective was to investigate the roles of gender and language as possible moderating variables in the relationship between adolescents’ cognitive flexibility and sense of humour. Design: A correlational research design was used in which pupils were asked to complete the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale to assess their sense of humour. In order to determine the cognitive flexibility of the sample group, Martin and Rubin’s Cognitive Flexibility Scale was applied. Setting and subjects: The initial sample comprised 1 203 adolescents (Grade 11 and 12 pupils) randomly selected from the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. Of these, a final 392 adolescents qualified after eliminating criteria had been applied.Results: No significant correlations were found between the total group or for the two genders. Significant positive correlations were found between cognitive flexibility and two of the scores for humour (creating and expressing humour), as well as for the total score for Afrikaans-speaking participants. Significant negative correlations were found between cognitive flexibility and all five of the scores for humour for the Nguni language speakers. Conclusion: This study recommends that culturally sensitive measuring instruments should be developed.Keywords: sense of humour, cognitive flexibility, adolescents, psychological well-being, language, gende

Die verband tussen moedertaalonderrig en akademiese prestasie van Graad 2-leerders

The language used in school education is a matter of great concern and conflict among different language groups in South Africa. Enjoying national and international status, English is often the only language in which the majority of South African parents want their children to be educated. More and more Afrikaans-speaking parents enrol their children in English medium schools. They believe it to be the only way to prepare their children for future international demands. In this article attention is given to issues regarding instruction in the mother tongue and second language, intelligence and academic achievement in grade 2 learners. A total of 138 grade 2 learners from two schools in Bloemfontein participated in the study. The research investigated the medium of instruction (mother tongue/non-mother tongue) as moderator in the relationship between grade 2 learners\' intelligence and academic achievement. Education in the mother tongue, although of a small effect size, was found to be a moderator in the relationship between intelligence and academic achievement. Learners receiving mother-tongue instruction are inclined to achieve better academically than those receiving non-mother-tongue instruction.Journal for Language Teaching vol Vol. 41 (2) 2007: pp. 69-8