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Psychologic perspectives on pediatric pain
1Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Insights
Understanding childhood pain requires examining psychological and social factors. This review explores how cognition, coping, communication, and family dynamics influence children's pain experiences and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Pain Management
- Child Development
Background:
- Childhood pain is a common yet complex issue, influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.
- Current understanding of childhood pain is evolving, impacting assessment and treatment strategies.
- Pain in children is not merely a physical sensation but a multifaceted experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on childhood pain.
- To focus on the psychological perspectives influencing children's pain.
- To explore sociologic factors affecting pain perception and reaction in children.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on childhood pain.
- Analysis of psychological elements: cognition, coping, communication, fear, temperament, personality.
- Examination of sociologic influences: family, culture, economics.
Main Results:
- Psychological factors like cognition and coping significantly shape pain experience.
- Sociological elements such as family and culture impact children's pain perception.
- Adult psychological factors, including professional beliefs, affect pediatric pain management.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive understanding of childhood pain necessitates integrating psychological and social dimensions.
- Psychological interventions are crucial for effective pain management in children.
- Awareness of adult psychological influences is vital for optimizing pediatric pain care.
Abstract:
Pain has always been a salient feature for children because it occurs frequently in their everyday lives. We are only beginning to understand childhood pain. Yet, it is this understanding that influences our assessment and treatment of their pain. As with adults, pain in children is a complex matrix of biologic, psychologic, and sociologic phenomena. This article reviews what we know today about childhood pain and focuses on the psychologic perspectives that affect that pain experience. It outlines the psychologic elements that include: cognition, coping strategies, ability to communicate pain, fear, temperament, and personality as well as the sociologic factors, such as the family, culture, and economics, that influence children's perceptions and reactions to pain. The article concludes with a review of psychologic treatments of pain and an exploration of the effects of the psychology of adults, including professional anxiety and beliefs about pain and medication, on how pain is experienced by children.