PERCEIVED STRESS AND PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH HARD-TO-HEAL WOUNDS THROUGHOUT TREATMENT: SECONDARY COHORT STUDY

• Grant number: 25/03570-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 15, 2025
• End date: December 14, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing - Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Vera Lúcia Conceição de Gouveia Santos
• Grantee: Beatriz Costa Ferreira
• Supervisor: Kevin Woo
• Host Institution: Escola de Enfermagem (EE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Queen's University, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/21155-7 - PERCEIVED STRESS AND PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH HARD-TO-HEAL WOUNDS THROUGHOUT TREATMENT: SECONDARY COHORT STUDY, BP.IC

Abstract

Background: Stress is characterized as a state of challenged homeostasis, whether systemic, physical, or psychological; failure to restore this balance results in negative effects, termed 'distress.' To cope with stressors, individuals employ coping mechanisms. In the case of people with hard-to-heal wounds, stress is associated with delayed healing, worsening symptoms such as pain, and a decline in quality of life. However, few studies currently address the associations between stress and wound healing. Objective: To identify and analyze the association between perceived stress, pain, and healing in people with hard-to-heal wounds in Brazil and Canada. Methodology: A secondary analysis, observational, cohort, prospective, exploratory, and correlational study will be carried out, part of two primary studies conducted in Sao Paulo's wound outpatient clinic and Toronto's chronic care hospital with previous ethics committees' approval. The following instruments were used for data collection: Sociodemographic and Clinical Data Form, Numerical Rating Scale, Brief Pain Inventory, McGill Pain Questionnaire, Bates Jensen Wound Assessment Tool, and Perceived Stress Scale. The data will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using the R software (R Core Team 2020). Four analytical approaches will be used to analyze the results of the Perceived Stress Scale: mean score cut-off, categorization by percentile, bifactorial model, and calculation of the three stress levels (high/medium/low). The present study was submitted for analysis and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the School of Nursing of the University of São Paulo (Process number 6.544.353).