Pain and self-reported health in Canadian children

Immigration background as a risk factor of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain in children and adolescents living in Spain: differences as a function of age

ABSTRACT

The number of people immigrating from one country to another is increasing worldwide. Research has shown that immigration background is associated with chronic pain (CP) and pain disability in adults. However, research in this issue in children and adolescents has yielded inconsistent results. The aims of this study were to examine (1) the association between immigration background, CP, high-impact chronic pain (HICP) in a community sample of children and adolescents; and (2) the extent these associations differed as a function of sex and age. Participants of this cross-sectional study were 1115 school children and adolescents (mean age = 11.67; 56% girls). Participants were asked to provide sociodemographic information and respond to a survey including measures of pain (location, extension, frequency, intensity, and interference). Results showed that having an immigration background was associated with a greater prevalence of CP (OR = 1.91, p <.001) and HICP (OR = 2.55, p <. 01). Furthermore, the association between immigration background and CP was higher in children (OR = 6.92, p <.001) and younger adolescents (OR = 1.66, p <.05) than in older adolescents. Children and adolescents with an immigration background are at higher risk for having CP -especially younger children- and HICP. More resources should be allocated in the prevention of CP and HICP in children and adolescents with an immigration background.

Experiences of a non-clinical set of adolescents and young adults living with persistent pain: a qualitative metasynthesis

PURPOSE

Around 15%-30% of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) experience persistent or chronic pain. The purpose of this study was to synthesise evidence from qualitative primary studies on how AYAs in a non-clinical population experience living with persistent pain.

METHOD

A qualitative metasynthesis guided by Sandelowski and Barroso's guidelines was used. The databases Medline, Embase, Cinahl, PsycINFO, Mednar and ProQuest were searched for studies from 1 January 2005 to 15 February 2021. Inclusion criteria were AYAs aged 13-24 years with first-hand experience of living with persistent, recurrent or episodic non-clinical pain in any body site. Pain associated with a medical diagnosis, malignant diseases, medical procedures or sport activities was excluded.

RESULTS

Of 2618 screened records, data from nine studies conducted in a Western cultural context including 184 participants (127 female and 57 male aged 11-28 years) were analysed into metasummaries and a metasynthesis. Headaches was the most focused pain condition (n=5), while three of the studies did not specify type of pain. The participants' experiences were characterised by (1) juggling pain with everyday life; (2) exploring sources of information to manage pain; (3) AYAs' use of medication to find relief and (4) non-pharmacological strategies for pain relief.

CONCLUSION

These AYAs experience of how pain influences everyday life, and their striving to find relief from pain by support from family, friends, professionals and the Internet should be strongly respected. Public health nurses and other healthcare professionals encountering AYAs need to respect their pain experiences, and to support them in healthy coping strategies. Further studies on this issue are needed, especially research focusing on AYAs pain in exposed populations and AYAs from non-Western cultures.

A High Psychological and Somatic Symptom Profile and Family Health Factors Predict New or Persistent Pain During Early Adolescence

OBJECTIVES

Persistent or recurrent pain is common among adolescents and is associated with poor functioning. The purpose of this study was to determine whether preteens who present with pain, and higher, co-occurring psychological and somatic symptoms (PSS) are at higher risk for persistent pain than other children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a secondary analysis of the longitudinal Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development database (version 2.0.1) that includes 11,863 children aged 9 to 12 years. We differentiated children into baseline Pain/PSS profiles using the Child Behavior Checklist assessments of pain, cognitive-fogginess, somatic symptoms, depression, and anxiety and the Sleep Disorder Survey-Children somnolence subscale. We examined whether Pain/PSS profile predicted 1-year new/persistent pain when controlled for child characteristics and intergenerational mental health factors.

RESULTS

Four profiles were differentiated: No Pain/Low PSS, No Pain/High PSS, Pain/Low PSS, Pain/High PSS. Trauma exposure and family symptoms were associated with increased odds of being in the higher PSS groups. Baseline symptom profile predicted 14% of the variance in new/persistent pain at 1-year. Compared with the No Pain/Low PSS group, an increased odds of 1-year new or persistent pain was found in children with No Pain/High PSS (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.44; [95% confidence interval: 1.14, 1.82]), Pain/Low PSS (adjusted OR: 4.69 [4.01, 5.48]) and Pain/High PSS (adjusted OR: 5.48 [4.35, 6.91]).

DISCUSSION

Preteen children with higher comorbid Pain/PSS symptomology were at higher risk for new or persistent pain at 1 year when controlled for important child and family characteristics. Findings support the importance of considering co-occurring symptoms when evaluating children with pain.

Occurrence of and referral to specialists for pain-related diagnoses in First Nations and non-First Nations children and youth

BACKGROUND

Indigenous youth have higher rates of chronic health conditions interfering with healthy development, including high rates of ear, dental, chest and musculoskeletal pain, as well as headache, arthritis and mental health issues. This study explores differences in pain-related diagnoses in First Nations and non-First Nations children.

METHODS

Data from a study population of age- and sex-matched First Nations and non-First Nations children and youth were accessed from a specific region of Atlantic Canada. The primary objective of the study was to compare diagnosis rates of painful conditions and specialist visits between cohorts. The secondary objective was to determine whether there were correlations between early physical pain exposure and pain in adolescence (physical and mental health).

RESULTS

Although ear- and throat-related diagnoses were more likely in the First Nations group than in the non-First Nations group (ear 67.3% v. 56.8%, p < 0.001; throat 89.3% v. 78.8%, p < 0.001, respectively), children in the First Nations group were less likely to see a relevant specialist (ear 11.8% v. 15.5%, p < 0.001; throat 12.7% v. 16.1%, p < 0.001, respectively). First Nations newborns were more likely to experience an admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) than non-First Nations newborns (24.4% v. 18.4%, p < 0.001, respectively). Non-First Nations newborns experiencing an NICU admission were more likely to receive a mental health diagnosis in adolescence, but the same was not found with the First Nations group (3.4% v. 5.7%, p < 0.03, respectively). First Nations children with a diagnosis of an ear or urinary tract infection in early childhood were almost twice as likely to have a diagnosis of headache or abdominal pain as adolescents (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-3.0, and OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.3, respectively).

INTERPRETATION

First Nations children were diagnosed with more pain than non-First Nations children, but did not access specific specialists or mental health services, and were not diagnosed with mental health conditions, at the same rate as their non-First Nations counterparts. Discrepancies in pain-related diagnoses and treatment are evident in these specific comparative cohorts. Community-based health care access and treatment inquiries are required to determine ways to improve care delivery for common childhood conditions that affect health and development.

[Headache, abdominal pain, and back pain in children and adolescents in Thuringia : Representative results of a regional module study in KiGGS wave 1]

Recurring pain in children and adolescents can have a negative impact on health and well-being. This study investigates recurring headache, abdominal pain, and back pain in children and adolescents in Thuringia. Data is based on a representative sub-sample from the federal state module Thuringia (2010-2012, n = 4096, 3-17 years), carried out in KiGGS wave 1 (first follow-up interview of the "German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents"). The 3‑month prevalence of recurrent headache, abdominal pain, and back pain is reported according to socio-demographic factors and is compared with the prevalence for the whole of Germany. In addition, possible associated factors of recurring headache, abdominal pain, and back pain in the previous 3 months are analyzed. Results for Thuringia show that 3‑ to 10-year-old children were most frequently affected by recurrent abdominal pain (girls: 24.1%; boys: 16.7%), while 11- to 17-year-old adolescents were most frequently affected by recurrent headaches (girls: 36.8%; boys: 20.6%). There were isolated socio-economic differences in the 3‑month prevalences of recurrent headache and back pain to the detriment of the low status group. Compared to peers in the whole of Germany, girls and boys in Thuringia did not report headache, abdominal pain, and back pain in the previous 3 months more frequently. The investigated associated factors-fair to very poor self-rated health, emotional problems such as anxiety and depressive symptoms, chronic diseases and other health complaints, migraine, use of a general medical practice, as well as practices for orthopedics and neurology, and in-patient treatment at a hospital-were positively related to the 3‑month prevalence of recurrent headache, abdominal pain, and back pain. Overall, the results confirm that recurring pain is a common phenomenon in childhood and adolescents and, therefore, underline the public health relevance of pain in this young age group.

Health-related quality of life and pain in children and adolescents: a school survey

BACKGROUND

Pain problems are common in children and adolescents. Measures of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) can be used to assess children's subjective perspectives of pain experience and its impact on their life. The aims of the study were to describe HRQoL and the prevalence of pain in a nonclinical population of children and adolescents, and to analyze the relationships between HRQoL, pain, sex, and age in a sample of children and adolescents aged 8-18 years.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved a cluster sample of 20 randomly selected schools drawn within a region of Norway. The final study sample included 1099 children and adolescents. We measured HRQoL using the generic questionnaire KIDSCREEN-52 and pain using questions from the Lübeck Pain-Screening Questionnaire. Multiple regression was used to analyze relationships between HRQoL and sex, age, and pain.

RESULTS

The response rate was 74%. A large percentage of the sample, 60%, reported pain, and girls reported significantly more pain than boys, 76% of the girls in the age group 16-18 years reported pain. The KIDSCREEN-52 scores differed between girls and boys, and on average, girls reported a significantly lower HRQoL than boys on most dimensions. Pain problems were associated with lower HRQoL, and older girls were most impaired by pain.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from this study indicate that pain problems are highly prevalent in children, and more prevalent in girls than in boys. HRQoL was impaired for all 10 dimensions of the KIDSCREEN-52 in children with pain. The subscales self-perception, psychological well-being, mood, relationship with parents, and school environment were most affected.

Maternal pain influences her evaluation of recurrent pain in 6- to 11-year-old healthy children

AIM

Children with recurrent pain rely on their parents to acknowledge it. We compared pain reported by healthy children and their mothers, to evaluate their agreement, and also looked at the effect of maternal health on children's pain.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey in Danish public schools. The participants were 131 healthy children aged 6-11 years and their mothers. The main outcome measures were the prevalence of recurrent pain reported by the mother and child, agreements between their reports and any associations between the child's pain, socio-demographic characteristics and maternal health factors.

RESULTS

Recurrent pain was reported by nearly one-third (31%) of the children and their mothers. A quarter (25%) of the mother-child pairs disagreed on the existence of pain in the child, and a third (33%) disagreed on the frequency and duration. When the data were adjusted for child characteristics and socio-demographic parameters, mothers who had chronic pain were five times more likely to report frequent pain in their children than mothers without pain. This is a new finding.

CONCLUSION

Maternal health factors may influence her evaluation of her child's pain. Family health and pain behaviour should be considered when recurrent pain is suspected in a child.

Disability mediates the impact of common conditions on perceived health

Background

We examined the extent to which disability mediates the observed associations of common mental and physical conditions with perceived health.

Methods and Findings

WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys carried out in 22 countries worldwide (n = 51,344 respondents, 72.0% response rate). We assessed nine common mental conditions with the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), and ten chronic physical with a checklist. A visual analog scale (VAS) score (0, worst to 100, best) measured perceived health in the previous 30 days. Disability was assessed using a modified WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS), including: cognition, mobility, self-care, getting along, role functioning (life activities), family burden, stigma, and discrimination. Path analysis was used to estimate total effects of conditions on perceived health VAS and their separate direct and indirect (through the WHODAS dimensions) effects.

Twelve-month prevalence was 14.4% for any mental and 51.4% for any physical condition. 31.7% of respondents reported difficulties in role functioning, 11.4% in mobility, 8.3% in stigma, 8.1% in family burden and 6.9% in cognition. Other difficulties were much less common. Mean VAS score was 81.0 (SD = 0.1). Decrements in VAS scores were highest for neurological conditions (9.8), depression (8.2) and bipolar disorder (8.1). Across conditions, 36.8% (IQR: 31.2–51.5%) of the total decrement in perceived health associated with the condition were mediated by WHODAS disabilities (significant for 17 of 19 conditions). Role functioning was the dominant mediator for both mental and physical conditions. Stigma and family burden were also important mediators for mental conditions, and mobility for physical conditions.

Conclusions

More than a third of the decrement in perceived health associated with common conditions is mediated by disability. Although the decrement is similar for physical and mental conditions, the pattern of mediation is different. Research is needed on the benefits for perceived health of targeted interventions aimed at particular disability dimensions.

Persistent pain in a community-based sample of children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Very few studies have investigated the psychological factors associated with the pain experiences of children and adolescents in community samples.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the lifetime prevalence of, and psychological variables associated with, persistent pain in a community sample of children and adolescents, and to explore differences according to sex, age and pain history.

METHODS

Participants completed the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), the Child Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (CPASS), the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children-10 (MASC-10), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Children (PCS-C) and a pain history questionnaire that assessed chronicity and pain frequency. After research ethics board approval, informed consent⁄assent was obtained from 1022 individuals recruited to participate in a study conducted at the Ontario Science Centre (Toronto, Ontario).

RESULTS

Of the 1006 participants (54% female, mean [± SD] age 11.6±2.7 years) who provided complete data, 27% reported having experienced pain that lasted for three months or longer. A 2×2×2 (pain history, age and sex) multivariate ANOVA was conducted, with the total scores on the CASI, the CPASS, the MASC-10 and the PCS-C as dependent variables. Girls with a history of persistent pain expressed higher levels of anxiety sensitivity (P<0.001) and pain catastrophizing (P<0.001) than both girls without a pain history and boys regardless of pain history. This same pattern of results was found for anxiety and pain anxiety in the older, but not the younger, age group.

CONCLUSIONS

Boys and girls appear to differ in terms of how age and pain history relate to the expression of pain-related psychological variables. Given the prevalence of persistent pain found in the study, more research is needed regarding the developmental implications of persistent pain in childhood and adolescence.

Self-treatment of pain among adolescents in an urban community

Pain occurrence among adolescents, whether acute or chronic, persistent or intermittent, remains high, with potentially serious effects on quality of life, physical and emotional functioning, and psychosocial adjustment. The prevalence of pain in adolescents varies widely, and although discussed in the literature for more than two decades, data on adolescent knowledge and pain self-treatment is scarce. This descriptive-correlational study identified pain prevalence and intensity and pain self-treatment choices among adolescents in a diverse urban community. Almost 90% (n = 253) of high school students reported pain in the preceding 2 weeks and completed a series of study questionnaires (demographic data form, Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, Adolescent Self-Treatment Survey). Respondents ranged in age from 14 to 19 years (mean 16) and were predominantly female (70%) and caucasian (75%). The sample was representative of all high school grades, and the majority (86%) reported participation in sports, dance, and physical activities. Mean pain scores ranged from 3.0 (current pain) to 6.5 (worst pain), with significantly higher scores among girls. A gender-related effect was also noted for pain interference in activities, mood, and sleep among the adolescent girls compared with the boys. Gender also predicted use of self-treatment methods, with girls more likely to use over-the-counter medications and nonpharmacologic therapies. Number of pain sites was also a strong predictor of use of self-treatment methods among adolescents. Knowledge of the pain experience during adolescence will help guide community-based nursing initiatives aimed at increasing awareness, promoting knowledge about pain and its treatment, and ensuring safety and positive outcomes related to self-treatment.

Myofascial pain in the adolescent

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Whereas in the recent past pain in the child and adolescent was directed to cancer management, there is increasing interest in pain in children and adolescents in relation to nonmalignant conditions. Additionally, there is an emerging literature related to disorders of myofascial function as a cause of pain.

RECENT FINDINGS

Pain associated with myofascial dysfunction is common in the adolescent female. Pain in this group of women has been shown to extend into adulthood. Although there has been attention directed to the management of endometriosis through laparoscopic surgical approaches, these are seen as limiting. Myofascial dysfunction is now regarded as an important factor in the evaluation of adolescent pain. One of the most important approaches to the reduction of severe pain in the adolescent is the complete menstrual suppression through use of continuous oral contraceptives or contraceptive rings. Operative laparoscopy has been heavily utilized but there are increasing concerns about the overutilization of this procedure

SUMMARY

Alternative approaches to myofascial pain include multidisciplinary care with a rehabilitative perspective.