Chronic Pain in the Elderly: Occupational Adaptation as a Means of Coping with Osteoarthritis of the Hip and/or Knee

OBJECTIVE:To determine whether elderly individuals with chronic pain as a result of osteoarthritis of the hip and/or knee would report adaptations to their activities, or occupational adaptations, as a coping response to pain and, if so, to describe these adaptations and their relation to chronic pain, functional difficulty, depression, social support, and life satisfaction. DESIGN:Thirty elderly individuals completed rating scales and a structured questionnaire designed to measure occupational adaptation and the importance of activity. SETTING:Participants were community-dwelling elderly individuals and were interviewed in their homes or in a research office setting. PATIENTS:Consecutive orthopedic surgeon, family physician, or Arthritis Society patients, whose names were provided with the patient's consent, to the researcher. RESULTS:Individuals reported two approaches to occupational adaptationthey changed how they performed personal activities of daily living that they rated as most important and they stopped performing a number of avocational activities that they rated as less important. Statistically significant correlations were found among occupational adaptation, pain, depression, and difficulty with functioning. These variables were inversely related to life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS:This sample of elderly individuals with chronic pain described occupational adaptations, or adaptations to "doing," as a means of coping with their chronic pain. There appeared to be a relation among pain, functional difficulty, depression, social support, and occupational adaptation. Additional research to increase the understanding of occupational adaptation as a means of coping with chronic pain is warranted.