A qualitative study of the psychological processes in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia

Abstract Objective To understand the psychological process of patients with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and provide references for the psychological management of PHN. Methods The objective sampling method was used to conduct semi-structural in-depth interviews on 10 PHN patients, and Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis method was used for data analysis. Results According to the different pain durations of PHN patients, the patients were divided into three stages and five themes were extracted: the need for strong pain relief, the helpless tolerance of pain, the self-feeling burden, the need for health education, and the positive response to pain. Conclusions PHN has complex psychological activities, so it is necessary to pay attention to the psychological process of patients and take effective psychological measures to intervene negative psychology so that patients can actively cope with the pain.