Examining Hope in Adolescents with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Pain Management
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) affects many adolescents, impacting their overall well-being.
• Understanding psychological factors associated with CMP is crucial for effective management.
• Hope is a key psychological resource that may influence health outcomes in youth with chronic pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify hope levels in adolescents diagnosed with CMP.
• To examine the associations between hope and patient-reported outcomes in this population.
• To explore hope as a potential coping mechanism in pediatric chronic pain.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, secondary analysis of baseline data from 60 adolescents (12-17 years) with CMP.
• Utilized the Children's Hope Scale (CHS) to measure hope.
• Correlated CHS scores with patient-reported mental health, physical function, and overall health using Spearman rank correlations.

Main Results:

• Adolescents with CMP reported slight hope (median CHS score: 20.0).
• Hope was negatively correlated with depression, anxiety, psychological distress, functional disability, and pain interference.
• Hope was positively correlated with resilience and overall health.

Conclusions:

• Hope is significantly associated with multiple patient-reported health measures in adolescents with CMP.
• Findings suggest hope may serve as an important coping strategy for pediatric chronic pain.
• Interventions aimed at enhancing hope, potentially through resilience coaching, could improve health-related quality of life in youth with CMP.