Pubertal status moderates the association between mother and child laboratory pain tolerance

There is limited information regarding the relationship between parent and child responses to laboratory pain induction in the absence of experimental manipulation.

To assess the association between responses to cold and pressure pain tasks in 133 nonclinical mothers and children (mean age 13.0 years; 70 girls), and the moderating effects of child sex and pubertal status on these mother-child relationships.

Mothers and children independently completed the cold and pressure pain tasks. Multiple linear regression analyses examined the association between mothers' and children's laboratory pain responses. The moderating effects of child sex and pubertal status were tested in the linear models by examining the interaction among mother laboratory pain responses, and child sex and pubertal status.

Mothers' cold pain anticipatory anxiety and pressure pain intensity were associated with children's pressure pain anticipatory anxiety. Mothers' pressure pain tolerance was associated with children's pain tolerance for both the cold and pressure pain tasks. Mothers' cold pain tolerance was associated with children's pressure pain tolerance. Pubertal status moderated two of the three significant mother-child pain tolerance relationships, such that the associations held for early pubertal but not for late pubertal children. Sex did not moderate mother-child pain associations.

The results indicate that mother-child pain relationships are centred primarily on pain avoidance behaviour, particularly among prepubertal children. These findings may inform interventions focused on pain behaviours, with a particular emphasis on mothers of prepubertal children, to reduce acute pain responses in their children.