Temperament and pain in 3 to 7-year-old children undergoing tonsillectomy.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among temperament, self-reported pain, parent's report of children's pain behavior and pain intensity, amount of pain medication received, and parents' attitudes toward use of analgesics in 3- to 7-year-old children undergoing tonsillectomy. Sixty-eight child/parent dyads participated in the study. Correlations were found between some temperamental factors and child's self-reported pain intensity in the hospital and at home as well as parents' report of pain behavior at home. There was a significant positive relationship between the child's self-reported pain intensity and analgesic administration in the hospital and at home.