Kim Hee Jun, Boo Sunjoo, Meeker Timothy J
Research Institute of Nursing Science, College of Nursing, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea.
Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
J Pain Res. 2021 Aug 11;14:2423-2431. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S324758. eCollection 2021.
Pain is a global health issue with a significant impact on young adults. Adverse effects caused by inappropriate pain management among university students are related to poor mental/physical health. This study aimed to explore pain prevalence, management, and interference among university students in South Korea.
Pain intensity, painful body areas, pain management, and pain interference were measured in a convenience sample of 404 students. Descriptive statistics are reported, and a multivariable binomial logistic regression was conducted to reveal factors associated with pain interference.
The prevalence of acute and chronic pain was 73.5%, while 7.8% reported chronic pain (≥ 3 months). Half of university students who experienced pain reported at least four painful body areas. The average pain intensity during the past 6 months was 4.8/10. About 56% of university students who experienced pain used over-the-counter pain pills for pain management. Rest and massage were the most used non-pharmacological pain management strategies. Mood was the most reported pain interference complaint amongst university students. Greater pain interference was associated with longer pain duration, more painful body areas, and greater pain intensity.
Pain is highly prevalent among South Korean university students. Pain management programs, including education about appropriate methods of pain relief, should be developed for university students. Attention should be given to university students with widespread acute and chronic pain of high intensity to mitigate the negative impacts caused by pain interference.
疼痛是一个全球性的健康问题，对年轻人有重大影响。大学生中不适当的疼痛管理所导致的不良影响与身心健康不佳有关。本研究旨在探讨韩国大学生的疼痛患病率、管理情况及干扰因素。
对404名学生的便利样本测量了疼痛强度、疼痛身体部位、疼痛管理及疼痛干扰情况。报告了描述性统计数据，并进行了多变量二项逻辑回归以揭示与疼痛干扰相关的因素。
急性和慢性疼痛的患病率为73.5%，而7.8%报告有慢性疼痛（≥3个月）。经历疼痛的大学生中有一半报告至少有四个疼痛身体部位。过去6个月的平均疼痛强度为4.8/10。经历疼痛的大学生中约56%使用非处方止痛片进行疼痛管理。休息和按摩是最常用的非药物疼痛管理策略。情绪是大学生中报告最多的疼痛干扰主诉。更大的疼痛干扰与更长的疼痛持续时间、更多的疼痛身体部位及更强的疼痛强度相关。
疼痛在韩国大学生中非常普遍。应为大学生制定疼痛管理计划，包括关于适当疼痛缓解方法的教育。应关注患有广泛的高强度急性和慢性疼痛的大学生，以减轻疼痛干扰造成的负面影响。
