Pain, somatic focus, and emotional adjustment in children of chronic headache sufferers and controls

Recent epidemiological studies have indicated that as many as 78% of individuals with chronic pain come from families in which at least one other family member has chronic pain. This suggests that children of individuals with chronic pain may be at particular risk for developing chronic pain conditions in the future. This study examined the relationship between parental chronic pain and children's general adjustment. A group of parents reporting chronic tension or migraine headache and their children were compared to a group of illness-free parents and their children. Results revealed that children of chronic headache sufferers were more somatically focused than their control counterparts. It is suggested that this heightened concern with their health status may be either a reaction to, or a means of coping with ongoing stress. A number of significant correlations between parents' and their children's level of emotional adjustment are also reported. The implications of these findings for general family health status, and characteristic ways of dealing with illness are discussed.