Coping mechanisms for chronic pain

Abstract

PROBLEM: what is the relationship between the way of thinking of people with chronic pain and the behaviors adopted to cope with it? OBJECTIVE: to describe the role played by coping mechanisms in people suffering from chronic pain. METHOD: a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 87 patients who attended a chronic pain rehabilitation clinic in Antigua Guatemala whose characteristic is suffering from chronic pain in some region of the body. RESULTS: a review of medical records and evolution sheets of 87 patients who consulted the pain rehabilitation clinic during the years 2018 to 2022 was made, of this population universe 57 were women and 30 men between the ages of 31 to 86 years. Regarding their ethnicity, 11 of them consider themselves Mayan, 75 Ladinos, and 1 Garífuna person, in addition, 56 are Catholics, 29 Evangelicals, and 2 Jehovah's Witnesses. CONCLUSION: finding that of 87 patients, 2 female patients suffer from primary chronic pain, 10 female patients and 9 male patients suffer from chronic neuropathic pain, 9 female patients suffer from secondary visceral chronic pain, finally, 36 female patients and 21 male patients suffer from musculoskeletal pain. Of this population sample, 51 patients, that is, 44.37% have used predominantly