Karen J Kaczynski1, Laura E Simons, Robyn Lewis Claar. 1. Department of Anesthesia, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. karen.kaczynski@childrens.harvard.edu
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pain coping as a mediator of associations between anxiety and functional disability and anxiety and somatic symptoms in adolescents with chronic pain. METHOD: Participants (mean age = 14.76 years, range: 12-17 years) included 280 patients (212 girls) with chronic pain who underwent multidisciplinary evaluation at a tertiary pain clinic in a northeast pediatric hospital. Patients completed measures of current pain, anxiety, active, passive, and accommodative pain coping, functional disability, and somatic symptoms. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling was employed. The association between anxiety and disability was fully mediated by passive coping. The association between anxiety and somatic symptoms was not mediated by coping. CONCLUSIONS: Links between anxiety symptoms and pain-related outcomes in adolescents with chronic pain are complex. Assessing how an adolescent copes with his/her pain provides further understanding of this relationship.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pain coping as a mediator of associations between anxiety and functional disability and anxiety and somatic symptoms in adolescents with chronic pain. METHOD:Participants (mean age = 14.76 years, range: 12-17 years) included 280 patients (212 girls) with chronic pain who underwent multidisciplinary evaluation at a tertiary pain clinic in a northeast pediatric hospital. Patients completed measures of current pain, anxiety, active, passive, and accommodative pain coping, functional disability, and somatic symptoms. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling was employed. The association between anxiety and disability was fully mediated by passive coping. The association between anxiety and somatic symptoms was not mediated by coping. CONCLUSIONS: Links between anxiety symptoms and pain-related outcomes in adolescents with chronic pain are complex. Assessing how an adolescent copes with his/her pain provides further understanding of this relationship.
Authors: Bruce E Compas; Sarah S Jaser; Alexandra H Bettis; Kelly H Watson; Meredith A Gruhn; Jennifer P Dunbar; Ellen Williams; Jennifer C Thigpen Journal: Psychol Bull Date: 2017-06-15 Impact factor: 17.737