Fear, alexithymia and cancer pain

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the differential role of fear, anxiety, alexithymia, family factors and coping in cancer pain. Twenty-seven patients with pain related to cancer, 26 patients with chronic non-cancer pain, 26 patients with chronic illness but no pain (hypertensives) and 24 healthy controls completed a set of questionnaires during an initial interview and recorded severity and duration of pain, pain interference with activities, thoughts, behaviors and physiological responses associated with fear of pain, and coping strategies using a diary once daily for 7 days. In general, cancer patients reported lower pain levels than patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Contrary to anecdotal reports, cancer pain patients did not report fear of pain. Cancer patients and patients with chronic non-cancer pain reported similar levels of trait anxiety which was higher than non-pain patients. Alexithymia, as a measure of emotional expression, was associated with increased duration of pain in the cancer pain patients. Cancer pain patients also reported less use of coping strategies than patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Cancer patients did not report higher levels of family modeling of pain complaints or family use of medication. The perceived family environment of the cancer pain patient did not differ significantly from the 3 other groups. These results do not support anecdotal impressions that the level of reported pain and fear of pain is significantly greater in cancer pain in contrast to non-cancer pain. The results do indicate the importance of emotional expressivity in the modulation of cancer pain where the ability to assess and express emotions was associated with reduced pain.