Adolescent chronic pain: the ability to cope.

The study investigated differences in mother-child interaction, child personality, and family characteristics between adolescents who were coping with chronic benign intractable pain and adolescents who were not. Both groups experienced a similar amount and intensity of pain. Behavioural observations indicated that non-copers engaged in significantly more negative behaviour than the copers. In addition, non-copers tended to express more pain and were on-task less often than the copers. Mothers of non-copers more frequently discouraged coping behaviour. No differences between the two groups were evident on the family or personality measures. The data are consistent with clinical impressions that parental behaviour interacts with child coping.