Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: parent-child discrepancy on reports of pain and disability

Area of Science:

• Pediatric rheumatology
• Child psychology
• Pain management

Background:

• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) significantly impacts children's lives, affecting their pain perception and functional abilities.
• Accurate assessment of pain and disability is crucial for effective JIA management.
• Discrepancies in reporting between children and parents can complicate treatment and support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the frequency and nature of disagreements between children with JIA and their parents regarding pain and functional disability.
• To identify demographic and psychosocial factors that predict these parent-child discrepancies.
• To explore the association between disagreement and child depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study involving 63 children (aged 8-16) with JIA and their parents.
• Validated measures of pain, depressive symptoms, and functional disability were administered during routine clinic visits.
• Statistical analyses were used to identify predictors of parent-child disagreement.

Main Results:

• Parents and children frequently disagreed on the intensity and frequency of pain, as well as the degree of functional disability.
• Child depressive symptoms and parental perceptions of child limitations predicted disagreements about pain frequency.
• Parental perceptions of limitations also predicted disagreements regarding functional disability.

Conclusions:

• Discrepancies between parent and child reports of pain and disability are prevalent in children with JIA.
• These disagreements are associated with children's depressive symptoms and parental perceptions of limitations.
• Addressing psychological factors may be important in managing JIA and improving parent-child concordance.