A Cross-Sectional Study on Pain Prevalence, Management and Interference among University Students in a Malaysian Public University

Abstract

Introduction: Pain is common among university students, and if left unmanaged, it can greatly hinder productivity, academic, mood, and social life. Identifying the prevalence of pain and evaluating the effectiveness of pain management methods among university students are crucial steps in assessing the need for a pain management program. This study aims to assess pain prevalence among university students, analyse the pain management methods, and evaluate the impact of pain on different aspects of students' lives.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire consisting of five sections and involved a convenience sampling of 380 Universiti Malaya students. The statistical tests used were descriptive and inferential analysis (i.e. chi-squared test, Kruskal-Wallis test).
Results: The overall pain prevalence in the last 30 days was 82.1%, with 1.3% of the cases being chronic pain lasting more than three months. Females are more likely to experience pain (p<0.001). Headache, musculoskeletal pain and period pain were the most commonly experienced pain by the students. About 72% of the participants who reported pain used pharmacological methods, and about 88% used non-pharmacological methods. However, 23.1% of the pain sufferers did not take any action to address their pain. Mood and daily functioning were the aspects of life that are most affected when in pain.
Conclusions: The high prevalence of pain and the presence of unmanaged pain among a proportion of the students suggest that the introduction of a pain management program would be highly advantageous for university students.