Author:
Alice Szymanski Bohannon
(June, 1995)
Abstract of doctoral dissertation at the University of Miami.
Dissertation supervised by Ruth Tappen.
No. of pages in text 84.
Children of two cultural groups, African-American and Anglo-American, were studied to determine if there was a difference in three dimensions of pain assessment and the total amount of pain medication given 24 hours post-operatively. There was a significant difference in the behavioral assessment determined by a score on the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (CHEOPS) (p=.043). African-American children were rated higher on pain behaviors than were Anglo-American children. In regard to physiological measures, African-American children exhibited a significant difference in respiratory rate pre- and post-operatively (p=.032). Anglo-American children exhibited a significant difference pre- and post-operatively in heart rate (D=.016), respiratory rate (p=.003), systolic blood pressure (p=.031), and temperature (p=.044). There was no statistically significant difference between the two cultural groups in the self-report assessment determined by a score on the Faces Scale. An equianalgesic dosage of pain medication was determined for each subject for the first 24 hours post-operatively. There was no statistically significant difference in the amount of pain medication given between the two cultural groups. There was a significant correlation (P-.009) between the children's self assessment (Faces Scale) and their behavioral pain score (CHEOPS). There was also a significant difference on the behavioral assessment (CHEOPS) between genders. Female pain behaviors were rated higher than male pain behaviors (p=-.012).
Alice Szymanski Bohannon, University of South Alabama, College of Nursing, USA Springhill, Mobile, AL 36688-0002
334-434-3410
March 15, 2002
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