[Pain, independence and subjective attitude to aging--an empirical contribution from the study "Possibilities and limits of independent living by the elderly"].

In a study on chances and limits of independent life in old age, we collected data about sensations of pain in 990 participants. Information about intensity and frequency of pain sensations was combined to differentiate empirically between five patterns of pain sensations. According to severity, these patterns can be ordered hierarchically. 873 persons could be grouped into the five patterns of pain sensations. There was no relationship between chronological age and patterns of pain sensations. The relationship between patterns of pain sensations and degree of independence in everyday life was only weak. Comparing the five patterns of pain sensations in seven psychological variables, we found only few statistically significant differences, mainly between people who had no pain and those who suffered from strong or very strong pain most of the time or permanently. In KLC-measures of external and internal control beliefs related to health and body, in PGC-dimensions attitude towards age, lonely dissatisfaction and agitation as well as in PGC-score for life satisfaction, we found only few and weak differences between patterns of pain sensations. Stepwise multiple regression analysis with the independent variables degree of independence in everyday life, pattern of pain sensations and chronological age could explain 1.4% to 6.7% of variance in those psychological variables. In contrast, patterns of pain sensations greatly differed in NAF-measures of subjective aging. A stepwise multiple regression with the independent variables degree of independence in everyday life and pattern of pain sensations could explain 24.6% of variance. Degree of independence in everyday life alone could explain 17.9% of variance. We hypothesize that effects in most psychological variables are weak, because what people mean by a "good" or personally satisfying life is only partly influenced by their health status.