OBJECTIVES: Functional abdominal pain (FAP) in youth is associated with substantial impairment in functioning, and prior research has shown that overprotective parent responses can heighten impairment. Little is known about how a range of parental behaviors (overprotection, minimizing, and/or encouragement) in response to their child's pain interact with child coping characteristics (eg, catastrophizing) to influence functioning in youth with FAP. In this study, it was hypothesized that the relation between parenting factors and child disability would be mediated by children's levels of maladaptive coping (ie, pain catastrophizing). METHODS: Seventy-five patients with FAP presenting to a pediatric pain clinic and their caregivers participated in the study. Youth completed measures of pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale), pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale), and disability (Functional Disability Inventory). Caregivers completed measures of parent pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale), and parent responses to child pain behaviors (Adult Responses to Child Symptoms: Protection, Minimizing, and Encouragement/Monitoring subscales). RESULTS: Increased functional disability was significantly related to higher child pain intensity, increased child and parent pain catastrophizing, and higher levels of encouragement/monitoring and protection. Parent minimization was not related to disability. Child pain catastrophizing fully mediated the relation between parent encouragement/monitoring and disability and partially mediated the relation between parent protectiveness and disability. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of parenting behaviors in response to FAP on child disability is determined, in part, by the child's coping style. Findings highlight a more nuanced understanding of the parent-child interaction in determining pain-related disability levels, which should be taken into consideration in assessing and treating youth with FAP.
OBJECTIVES:Functional abdominal pain (FAP) in youth is associated with substantial impairment in functioning, and prior research has shown that overprotective parent responses can heighten impairment. Little is known about how a range of parental behaviors (overprotection, minimizing, and/or encouragement) in response to their child's pain interact with child coping characteristics (eg, catastrophizing) to influence functioning in youth with FAP. In this study, it was hypothesized that the relation between parenting factors and child disability would be mediated by children's levels of maladaptive coping (ie, pain catastrophizing). METHODS: Seventy-five patients with FAP presenting to a pediatric pain clinic and their caregivers participated in the study. Youth completed measures of pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale), pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale), and disability (Functional Disability Inventory). Caregivers completed measures of parent pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale), and parent responses to childpain behaviors (Adult Responses to Child Symptoms: Protection, Minimizing, and Encouragement/Monitoring subscales). RESULTS: Increased functional disability was significantly related to higher childpain intensity, increased child and parent pain catastrophizing, and higher levels of encouragement/monitoring and protection. Parent minimization was not related to disability. Childpain catastrophizing fully mediated the relation between parent encouragement/monitoring and disability and partially mediated the relation between parent protectiveness and disability. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of parenting behaviors in response to FAP on child disability is determined, in part, by the child's coping style. Findings highlight a more nuanced understanding of the parent-child interaction in determining pain-related disability levels, which should be taken into consideration in assessing and treating youth with FAP.
Authors: M J Sullivan; B Thorn; J A Haythornthwaite; F Keefe; M Martin; L A Bradley; J C Lefebvre Journal: Clin J Pain Date: 2001-03 Impact factor: 3.442
Authors: Natoshia R Cunningham; Anne Lynch-Jordan; Adam G Mezoff; Michael K Farrell; Mitchell B Cohen; Susmita Kashikar-Zuck Journal: J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr Date: 2013-05 Impact factor: 2.839
Authors: Susmita Kashikar-Zuck; Stacy R Flowers; Robyn Lewis Claar; Jessica W Guite; Deirdre E Logan; Anne M Lynch-Jordan; Tonya M Palermo; Anna C Wilson Journal: Pain Date: 2011-03-31 Impact factor: 6.961
Authors: Anne M Lynch-Jordan; James Peugh; Natoshia R Cunningham; Jessica R Trygier; Susmita Kashikar-Zuck Journal: Clin J Pain Date: 2018-12 Impact factor: 3.442
Authors: Katrina M Poppert Cordts; Amanda L Stone; Jaimie K Beveridge; Anna C Wilson; Melanie Noel Journal: J Pain Date: 2019-01-16 Impact factor: 5.820
Authors: Kaitlyn L Gamwell; Constance A Mara; Kevin A Hommel; Susmita Kashikar-Zuck; Natoshia R Cunningham Journal: Clin J Pain Date: 2021-12-17 Impact factor: 3.442
Authors: Miranda A L van Tilburg; Rona L Levy; Susan Stoner; Joan M Romano; Tasha B Murphy; Bisher Abdullah; Lloyd Mancl; Andrew D Feld Journal: J Psychosom Res Date: 2021-09-15 Impact factor: 3.006