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Adolescent chronic pain: the ability to cope.
Jennifer B Dunn-Geier1, Patrick J McGrath, Byron P Rourke
1Psychology Department, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ont. N9B 3P4, and Psychology Department, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ont. KlH 8L1 Canada Psychology Department, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ont. KlH 8L1 Canada Psychology Department, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ont. N9B 3P4 Canada Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ont. K1H 8L1 Canada Department of Orthopedics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ont. K1H 8L1 Canada.
Adolescents with chronic pain who did not cope showed more negative behaviors and pain expression. Mothers of these adolescents discouraged coping, suggesting parental behavior impacts pain management.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Chronic benign intractable pain affects adolescents.
- Understanding coping mechanisms and family dynamics is crucial for pain management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in mother-child interaction, child personality, and family characteristics between adolescents coping with chronic pain and those not coping.
- To explore the role of parental behavior in adolescent pain coping.
Main Methods:
- Behavioral observations of mother-child interactions.
- Assessment of child personality and family characteristics.
- Comparison between adolescents with chronic pain (copers vs. non-copers) and a control group.
Main Results:
- Non-copers exhibited significantly more negative behaviors than copers.
- Non-copers expressed more pain and were less on-task.
- Mothers of non-copers more frequently discouraged coping behaviors.
- No significant differences were found in family or personality measures between groups.
Conclusions:
- Parental behavior, specifically discouraging coping, plays a role in adolescent chronic pain.
- Interventions should consider the interaction between child coping strategies and parental responses.