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Pain, pain anxiety and emotional and behavioural problems in children with cerebral palsy

Rio Yamaguchi1, Kathryn Nicholson Perry, Monique Hines

  • 1Centre for Health Research/School of Social Sciences and Psychology, University of Western Sydney , New South Wales, Sydney , Australia and.

Disability and Rehabilitation
|April 20, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Pain in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is linked to emotional issues. Pain anxiety, more than pain intensity, significantly predicts behavioral and emotional problems in children with CP.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Neurology
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Pain is a common issue for children with cerebral palsy (CP).
  • Previous studies indicate a correlation between pain, pain anxiety, and increased behavioral and emotional problems in children.
  • Understanding these relationships is crucial for effective intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the predictive relationship between pain intensity and pain anxiety on behavioral and emotional problems in children with CP.
  • To determine whether pain intensity or pain anxiety is a stronger predictor of these issues.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional online survey was administered to parents/guardians of 61 children (aged 5-15 years) diagnosed with CP.
  • Data collected included measures of pain intensity, pain anxiety, and behavioral and emotional problems.
  • Statistical analyses, including correlation and multiple linear regression, were employed to assess predictive relationships.

Main Results:

  • 59% of children with CP reported current pain experiences.
  • Both pain intensity and pain anxiety significantly predicted anxiety in children.
  • Pain anxiety emerged as the sole significant independent predictor for depression and overall behavioral and emotional problems.

Conclusions:

  • Pain intensity is associated with behavioral and emotional problems in children with CP.
  • Pain anxiety demonstrates a stronger independent association with behavioral and emotional problems than pain intensity.
  • Targeting pain anxiety may be a key therapeutic approach for managing behavioral and emotional difficulties in this population.
Abstract

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