Associations between patient-reported functional disability and measures of physical ability in juvenile fibromyalgia.

ABSTRACT: Juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM) is a chronic condition characterized by symptoms of pain and fatigue and is associated with sedentary behavior and functional disability. Adults with fibromyalgia exhibit deficits in physical fitness as evidenced by lower aerobic capacity and physical endurance, but it is unknown whether these impairments are apparent in adolescents with JFM. Furthermore, the extent to which functional disability and pain interference relate to measures of physical fitness has not been investigated in a pediatric pain population. During a baseline assessment for a clinical trial, 321 adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia (M age = 15.14, 85.2% female) completed measures of pain intensity, fatigue, JFM symptom severity, functional disability, and pain interference. They also completed 2 validated fitness tasks: (1) the Harvard step test, which assesses aerobic fitness, and (2) the 6-minute walk test, a simple submaximal test of endurance. We examined associations among self-report measures and fitness assessments using bivariate correlations. We then employed hierarchical regression analyses to determine the unique contributions of physical fitness assessments to self-reported functional disability and pain interference. Results indicated that youth with JFM exhibited deficits in aerobic capacity and physical endurance. However, physical fitness explained negligible variance in functional disability and pain interference beyond that accounted for by pain, fatigue, and JFM symptom severity. Scores on available functional disability measures may reflect perceived difficulties in coping with symptoms during physical tasks rather than actual physical capability. Rigorous and sensitive assessments of physical fitness and endurance are needed to determine whether rehabilitation interventions for pediatric pain improve physical functioning.

Associations Between Adolescent Chronic Pain and Prescription Opioid Misuse in Adulthood.

Prescription opioid misuse is a serious public health concern, yet antecedent factors are poorly described. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 14,784), we examined the longitudinal relationship between a history of adolescent chronic pain and the odds of misusing prescription opioids in adulthood. The primary predictor variable was chronic pain status during adolescence. The primary outcome variables were prescription opioid misuse during early adulthood and adulthood. Multivariate models controlled for known risk factors of opioid misuse, including sociodemographics (sex, race, and ethnicity), adolescent mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression), adolescent self-reported physical health status, adolescent substance use/abuse, childhood trauma, and adult legitimate opioid use. We found that adults with a history of adolescent chronic pain were more likely to misuse opioids than those without history of chronic pain, even after controlling for other known risk factors. Further, we found that among individuals with history of adolescent chronic pain that race (white), other substance use, and exposure to trauma were risk factors for later opioid misuse. Longitudinal associations between adolescent chronic pain and subsequent adult prescription opioid misuse highlight the need for early targeted screening and prevention efforts that may reduce later opioid misuse. Perspective: Using a large, nationally representative sample, we found that chronic pain during adolescence was an independent risk factor for opioid misuse in adulthood, over and above other known risk factors. Furthermore, among those individuals with adolescent chronic pain, substance use, exposure to trauma, and race were associated with opioid misuse.

Chronic pain prevalence and associated factors in adolescents with and without physical disabilities.

AIM: Adolescents with physical disabilities may have co-occurring chronic pain, but the prevalence and specific associated factors are unknown. The aims of this study were to determine (1) the prevalence of chronic pain in adolescents with physical disabilities and (2) whether known correlates of chronic pain in the general population are also present in young people both with physical disability and with chronic pain relative to peers. METHOD: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify demographic and psychosocial factors associated with chronic pain. RESULTS: A total of 989 (4.3%) adolescents reported physical disabilities. They had a significantly higher rate of pain (27.2%) compared with able-bodied peers (15.6%, χ2 =86.3550, p<0.001). There was no significant interaction between physical disability status and chronic pain in relation to depressive symptoms, anxiety, or insomnia. INTERPRETATION: Adolescents with physical disabilities experience chronic pain at a significantly higher rate than able-bodied peers, but the comorbidity of physical disability and chronic pain is not related to depression, anxiety, or insomnia. Evaluation of chronic pain and tailored pain interventions need to be developed for this population. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Chronic pain and its correlates are important problems for adolescents with physical disabilities. These adolescents present with higher rates of chronic pain than other young people. Chronic pain is associated with increased levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and insomnia regardless of disability status.

Coping strategies and emotional well-being in children with disease-related pain.

Disease-related pain and the consequences of pain in children and families are important areas for further research inquiry. There are limited data on the relationship between children's emotional well-being, their experience of pain, and the strategies they employ to cope with pain within the context of serious medical illnesses. Understanding what strategies chronically ill children use to cope with pain and stress is essential for clinical intervention. This observational study examined the ways that children and adolescents with chronic diseases cope with pain and adapt to illness. The data were collected by self-report measures and projective drawing techniques in a novel way to assess the emotional functioning in a mixed cohort of youth with disease-related pain (oncological, rheumatic, and cystic fibrosis). This protocol was administered to 47 children, aged 7-14, recruited from pediatric wards of hospitals of Trento and Rovereto (Italy). The results showed that coping strategies in youth with disease-related pain differed across diagnoses and with self-representations (as part of the self-concept adaptive mode). We also provide evidence of the applicability of using projective drawing methods in assessing coping in youth with chronic illness and associated pain.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use by Children With Pain in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain is reported by 15% to 25% of children. Growing evidence from clinical samples suggests that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are desired by families and may benefit some children with pain conditions. The objective of this study was to provide estimates of CAM use by children with pain in the United States. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to estimate patterns, predictors, and perceived benefits of CAM use among children 4 to 17 years of age with and without painful conditions in the United States. We used chi-square tests to compare the prevalence rates of CAM use among children with pain to CAM use among children without pain. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with CAM use within the group of children with pain conditions. RESULTS: Parents reported that 26.6% of children had pain conditions (eg, headache, abdominal, musculoskeletal pain) in the past year; of these children, 21.3% used CAM. In contrast, only 8.1% of children without pain conditions used CAM (χ2, P < .001). CAM use among children with pain was associated with female sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.49, P = .005), higher income (aOR = 1.61, P = .027), and presence of 4+ comorbidities (aOR = 2.01, P = .013). Among children with pain who used CAM, the 2 most commonly used CAM modalities were biology-based therapies (47.3%) (eg, special diets and herbal supplements) and manipulative or body-based therapies (46.3%) (eg, chiropractic and massage). CONCLUSIONS: CAM is frequently used by children with pain in the United States, and many parents report benefits for their child's symptoms.

Components of Effective Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Headache: A Mixed Methods Approach.

Internet-delivered treatment has the potential to expand access to evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for pediatric headache, and has demonstrated efficacy in small trials for some youth with headache. We used a mixed methods approach to identify effective components of CBT for this population. In Study 1, component profile analysis identified common interventions delivered in published RCTs of effective CBT protocols for pediatric headache delivered face-to-face or via the Internet. We identified a core set of three treatment components that were common across face-to-face and Internet protocols: 1) headache education, 2) relaxation training, and 3) cognitive interventions. Biofeedback was identified as an additional core treatment component delivered in face-to-face protocols only. In Study 2, we conducted qualitative interviews to describe the perspectives of youth with headache and their parents on successful components of an Internet CBT intervention. Eleven themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis, which broadly focused on patient experiences using the treatment components and suggestions for new treatment components. In the Discussion, these mixed methods findings are integrated to inform the adaptation of an Internet CBT protocol for youth with headache.

A Single-Arm Feasibility Trial of Problem-Solving Skills Training for Parents of Children with Idiopathic Chronic Pain Conditions Receiving Intensive Pain Rehabilitation.

Objective: To adapt problem-solving skills training (PSST) for parents of children receiving intensive pain rehabilitation and evaluate treatment feasibility, acceptability, and satisfaction. Methods: Using a prospective single-arm case series design, we evaluated the feasibility of delivering PSST to 26 parents (84.6% female) from one of three pediatric pain rehabilitation programs. Results: Parents completed four to six sessions of PSST delivered during a 2-4-week period. A mixed-methods approach was used to assess treatment acceptability and satisfaction. We also assessed changes in parent mental health and behavior outcomes from pretreatment to immediate posttreatment and 3-month follow-up. Parents demonstrated excellent treatment adherence and rated the intervention as highly acceptable and satisfactory. Preliminary analyses indicated improvements in domains of mental health, parenting behaviors, health status, and problem-solving skills. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the potential role of psychological interventions directed at reducing parent distress in the context of intensive pediatric pain rehabilitation.

Chronic pain in adolescence and internalizing mental health disorders: a nationally representative study.

Chronic pain in childhood and adolescence has been shown to heighten the risk for depressive and anxiety disorders in specific samples in adulthood; however, little is known about the association between a wider variety of chronic pains and internalizing mental health disorders. Using nationally representative data, the objectives of this study were to establish prevalence rates of internalizing mental health disorders (anxiety and depressive disorders) among cohorts with or without adolescent chronic pain, and to examine whether chronic pain in adolescence is associated with lifetime history of internalizing mental health disorders reported in adulthood. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) was used (N = 14,790). Individuals who had chronic pain in adolescence subsequently reported higher rates of lifetime anxiety disorders (21.1% vs 12.4%) and depressive disorders (24.5% vs 14.1%) in adulthood as compared with individuals without a history of adolescent chronic pain. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that chronic pain in adolescence was associated with an increased likelihood of lifetime history of anxiety disorders (odds ratio: 1.33; 95% confidence interval: 1.09-1.63, P = 0.005) and depressive disorders (odds ratio: 1.38; confidence interval: 1.16-1.64, P < 0.001) reported in adulthood. Future research is needed to examine neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying these comorbidities.

Characterizing the Pain Narratives of Parents of Youth With Chronic Pain.

OBJECTIVES: Questionnaire-based research has shown that parents exert a powerful influence on and are profoundly influenced by living with a child with chronic pain. Examination of parents' pain narratives through an observational lens offers an alternative approach to understanding the complexity of pediatric chronic pain; however, the narratives of parents of youth with chronic pain have been largely overlooked. The present study aimed to characterize the vulnerability-based and resilience-based aspects of the pain narratives of parents of youth with chronic pain. METHODS: Pain narratives of 46 parents were recorded during the baseline session as part of 2 clinical trials evaluating a behavioral intervention for parents of youth with chronic pain. The narratives were coded for aspects of pain-related vulnerability and resilience. RESULTS: Using exploratory cluster analysis, 2 styles of parents' pain narratives were identified. Distress narratives were characterized by more negative affect and an exclusively unresolved orientation toward the child's diagnosis of chronic pain, whereas resilience narratives were characterized by positive affect and a predominantly resolved orientation toward the child's diagnosis. Preliminary support for the validity of these clusters was provided through our finding of differences between clusters in parental pain catastrophizing about child pain (helplessness). DISCUSSION: Findings highlight the multidimensional nature of parents' experience of their child's pain problem. Clinical implications in terms of assessment and treatment are discussed.

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Internet-Delivered Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Pediatric Headache.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of an Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for adolescents with chronic headache. BACKGROUND: Headache is among the most common pain complaints of childhood. Cognitive-behavioral interventions are efficacious for improving pain among youth with headache. However, many youth do not receive psychological treatment for headache due to poor access, which has led to consideration of alternative delivery modalities such as the Internet. METHODS: We used a parallel arm randomized controlled trial design to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of an Internet-delivered family-based CBT intervention, Web-based management of adolescent pain. Adolescents were eligible for the trial if they were a new patient being evaluated in a specialized headache clinic, between 11 and 17 years of age, and had recurrent headache for 3 months or more as diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist. Eighty-three youths were enrolled in the trial. An online random number generator was used to randomly assign participants to receive Internet CBT adjunctive to specialized headache treatment (n = 44) or specialized headache treatment alone (n = 39). The primary treatment outcome was headache days. RESULTS: Youth and parents in the Internet CBT group demonstrated high levels of engagement with the web program and reported satisfaction with the intervention. Multilevel modelling (MLM) was used to conduct hypothesis testing for continuous outcomes. For our primary treatment outcome of headache days, adolescents reported a statistically significant reduction in headache days from baseline to post-treatment and baseline to 3-month follow-up in both treatment conditions (main effect for time F(2, 136) = 19.70, P < .001). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the Internet CBT group and the specialized headache treatment group at post-treatment or follow-up (group × time interaction F(2, 134) = 0.94, P = .395). For our secondary treatment outcomes, findings from MLM showed that adolescents in both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement headache pain intensity, activity limitations, depressive symptoms, and parent protective behaviors from baseline to post-treatment and these gains were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Adolescent anxiety symptoms and sleep did not change during the study period for either group. There were no statistically significant group differences on any secondary outcomes at post-treatment or follow-up (P > .05 for all outcomes). No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Although adjunctive Internet CBT did not lead to additional benefit in this population, future research should evaluate whether it is an effective intervention for adolescents with headache who are unable to access specialized headache treatment.