Abstract
Appropriate pain management is an important issue for health care professionals working with older patients in long-term care settings. This article reviews published literature concerning psychological factors in pain perception and treatment in the elderly. Specifically, it examines research on the importance of internal locus of control, active coping, comorbid depression, and cognitive status in older pain patients. Psychologically based interventions, including behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, and multidisciplinary treatments, are also discussed. As suggested by the biopsychosocial model, this review supports the importance of multidisciplinary pain management, which includes considering and addressing psychological and social factors along with traditional medical interventions for optimal treatment of pain in the elderly.