The Adequacy and Scope of Roy's Adaptation Model to Guide Cross-Cultural Pain Research

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the adequacy (operational, empirical, and pragmatic) and scope of the Roy adaptation model and the gate control theory of pain to guide the cross-cultural study of pain. The sample consisted of 60 Mexican-American and Anglo American women undergoing elective cholecystectomy. The conceptual-theoretical-empirical structure developed by Fawcett and Downs (1986) provided the framework for designing the study. Operational adequacy was determined by examining the reliability and validity of the empirical indicators used; it was judged adequate. Empirical adequacy was evaluated by comparing empirical data to hypothesized expectations. Only some of the conceptualtheoretical relational statements were supported. Pragmatic adequacy was assessed by determining whether innovative practice strategies might be derived from the data; several were recommended. Finally, the scope was determined by examining the variables identified by the model and several additional variables. Scope was judged adequate to the current stage of the model's development.