Perceived parenting styles and chronic pain course in mid-life in the general population

Adverse parenting styles during childhood have been shown to contribute to influencing later pain characteristics in clinical populations with chronic pain (CP). However, few studies have addressed this question in the general population. We assessed the associations of perceived parenting styles with incident, persistent, and remitted CP during a 5-year follow-up in middle-aged community-dwellers as well as the potentially moderating effect of sex on these associations.

Data stemmed from the 2 first follow-up (FU1, FU2) evaluations of CoLaus|PsyCoLaus, a prospective cohort study conducted in the general population of Lausanne, Switzerland. Parental bonding was assessed using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). The 1,739 participants of this analysis were divided into 4 groups according to their CP status at follow-up: (1) incident CP, (2) persistent CP, (3) remitted CP, and (4) CP free (reference group). The associations between PBI categories (high vs low) and subsequent CP status were assessed using multinomial logistic regressions, controlling for confounding factors including lifetime major depressive disorder, neuroticism, and psychotropic drug use.

Sex and PBI categories did not interact regarding CP status during follow-up. The only significant main effect was between high levels of denial of autonomy by the father and a higher risk of reporting persistent CP at follow-up (odds ratio: 1.42 [1.05; 1.91] P = 0.02).

Our results suggest that earlier perceived high psychological denial of autonomy by the father is associated with the subsequent risk of CP in mid-life. Prospective studies following adolescents into adulthood should determine the direction of this association.