Laboratory pain reactivity and gender: relationship to school nurse visits and school absences

Currently, there are no clear methods for identifying children vulnerable to frequent school absences. Our study examined relationships between gender and laboratory pain reactivity to the cold-pressor task (CPT), and parent-involved school absences and self-initiated school nurse visits in 57 children (36 female; ages 8-10 years). Using multiple regression analyses, CPT pain ratings, tolerance, and gender were analyzed in relation to nurse visits and absences collected prospectively across 2 years. We found that higher pain ratings and female gender predicted more absences; female gender also predicted increased nurse visits for acute complaints with documented physical findings. Our results suggest that laboratory pain reactivity is a potentially useful indicator of vulnerability to parent-involved functional impairment, as indexed by school absences, and that girls are more likely than boys to miss school and visit the nurse for acute illnesses. Limitations and pathways for further study are discussed.