Parent-Reported Chronic Pain in Children With and Without Developmental Disabilities.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Developmental Disabilities
• Pain Management

Background:

• Chronic pain in children can negatively impact development into adulthood.
• The prevalence of chronic pain in children with developmental disabilities is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of parent-reported chronic pain in US children with developmental disabilities.
• To examine the association between developmental disabilities and chronic pain in children.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Survey of Children's Health (2016-2023) including 263,168 children aged 3-17.
• Analyzed parent-reported chronic pain and 10 categories of developmental disabilities using logistic regression.
• Examined associations between disabilities, pain, and potential health disparities.

Main Results:

• 18.7% of children had at least one developmental disability.
• Chronic pain prevalence was higher in children with disabilities (13.2%) versus those without (5.5%).
• Significant association found between any disability and chronic pain (OR 2.31), particularly seizure and cerebral palsy. Socioeconomic factors like lower parental education and income were linked to higher pain odds.

Conclusions:

• Children with developmental disabilities are more likely to experience parent-reported chronic pain.
• Socioeconomic factors are associated with increased odds of chronic pain in this population.
• Findings support targeted screening and interventions for pain in pediatric populations with developmental disabilities.