The Influence of Social Structure on Cancer Pain and Quality of Life.
Ok-Kyung Ham, Wonshik Chee, Eun-Ok Im
PMID 27703078WHAT IT FOUND
Cancer patients with insufficient income reported more pain and lower quality of life, but this link was only significant for those with higher education.
White patients benefited more from sufficient income than non-White patients. Unemployed patients also reported worse outcomes.
Key findings
01Self-reported cancer pain and quality of life differed significantly by race/ethnicity, subjective household income, employment status, and access to health care, but not by education level or gender.
02Household income was associated with pain and quality of life only in the high education group; these associations were not significant in the low education group.
03The association between income and quality of life was stronger for White patients than for non-White patients.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a secondary analysis of existing data, so it could not control for all potential confounding variables. Cancer stage was not considered in the analyses. Income was measured subjectively (perceived adequacy) rather than objectively. Occupation category was not recorded, so job type could not be analyzed. The sample was recruited from community and Internet settings, which may have lower pain prevalence than hospital settings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that increasing a patient's income or financial stability will automatically reduce their cancer pain or improve their quality of life. The study found this link was only significant for patients with higher education levels and was stronger for White patients than non-White patients. Financial resources alone do not guarantee better pain outcomes for all demographic groups.