Psychosocial Functioning of Parents of Youth Receiving Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Parents of youth with chronic pain report psychosocial difficulties, yet treatment often focuses on improving their child's functioning and pain. This study evaluated changes in parents' social and emotional functioning and explored predictors of change, as they completed a parent-focused intervention while their child was enrolled in an intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) program. METHODS: Parents (n = 69) completed questionnaires at baseline and weekly (average duration of 4 weeks) during their child's participation in IIPT. Parents engaged in 3 groups per week providing education, therapeutic art, and psychotherapy (3 hr/week total). RESULTS: At baseline, 38% of parents reported scores in the clinically elevated range for at least 1 psychosocial variable. Linear mixed modeling for the full sample indicated reduced parent anxiety (t = -2.72, p <.01) and depression (t = -3.59, p <.001), but not increased emotional support (t = 1.86, p >. 05) or reduced social isolation (t = -1.20, p >.05). For parents with at least moderately elevated psychosocial concerns, statistically significant improvements were observed for all 4 outcomes (all p's<.01). Psychological flexibility, cognitive reappraisal, and emotional suppression were found to be related to changes in parent outcomes (anxiety, depression, isolation, and support). CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the benefit of parent-focused interventions in addition to child-focused interventions. Many parents of youth participating in IIPT had elevated scores for at least 1 psychosocial concern at baseline. Brief, parent-focused intervention including psychoeducation, therapeutic art, and psychotherapy targeting mindfulness, acceptance, and values had a significant impact on these parents, particularly those with greater struggles at baseline.

Pediatric Neural Changes to Physical and Emotional Pain After Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment: A Pilot Study.

Brain areas activated during pain can contribute to enhancing or reducing the pain experience, showing a potential connection between chronic pain and the neural response to pain in adolescents and youth. This study examined changes in brain activation associated with experiencing physical pain, and the observation of physical and emotional pain in others, by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT). Eighteen youth (age 14 to 18) with widespread chronic pain completed fMRI testing before and after IIPT to assess changes in brain activation in response to physical and emotional pain. Broadly, brain activation changes were observed in frontal, somatosensory, and limbic regions. These changes suggest improvements in descending pain modulation via thalamus and caudate, and the different pattern of brain activation after treatment suggests better discrimination between physical and emotional pain. Brain activation changes were also correlated with improvements in clinical outcomes of catastrophizing (reduced activation in right caudate, right mid-cingulate, and postcentral gyrus) and pain-related disability (increased activation in precentral gyrus, left hippocampus, right middle occipital cortex, and left superior frontal gyrus). These changes support interpretation that reduced brain protective responses to pain were associated with treatment-related improvements. This pilot study highlights the need for larger trials designed to better understand the brain mechanisms involved in pediatric widespread pain treatment.

Development and Validation of the Scale for Pain Self-Efficacy (SPaSE) in German and English Languages for Children and Adolescents.

No validated measure for pain self-efficacy in children and adolescents is currently available in the German language, and existing English versions have limitations. This study used a thorough development process to create the Scale for Pain Self-Efficacy (SPaSE) in both German and English languages. Scale development was based on self-efficacy theory, adapting items from existing self-efficacy measures, and review of patients' perspectives. The final version of the 11-item SPaSE was created with expert discussions and testing of content validity, comprehensibility, and construct validity. The validation process consisted of exploratory factor analysis, testing of item characteristics, internal consistency, and sensitivity to change in 2 German samples of children and adolescents with chronic pain (study 1: outpatient sample N = 150, inpatient sample N = 31). Cross-validation in a U.S. sample (study 2: N = 98) confirmed the 1-factor structure, the sound psychometric properties and reliability of the SPaSE. Sum scores of the SPaSE were negatively correlated with pain-related disability, pain intensity, passive pain coping strategies, and emotional distress, in line with previous research. The valid and reliable SPaSE can be used in clinical practice to monitor pain treatment progress, advances the field of pain self-efficacy research in Germany, and opens the door to comparative research in German and English samples. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents psychometric properties of a newly developed measure of pain self-efficacy in children and adolescents that is available in both German and English language. This measure could be used in both research and clinical practice to measure treatment progress and outcome.

Comparing Three Music Therapy Interventions for Anxiety and Relaxation in Youth With Amplified Pain.

Research in pediatric hospitals has shown that active music engagement, preferred music listening, and music-assisted relaxation can decrease anxiety and increase relaxation responses. However, there is little research on the use of music therapy with pediatric chronic pain conditions such as amplified pain syndromes. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of 3 specific music therapy interventions (active music engagement, live patient-selected music, and music-assisted relaxation) on anxiety and relaxation levels in youth (ages 10-18) participating in a 40 hr per week hospital-based intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment program. A sample of 48 patients participated in this study which utilized a 3-period, 3-treatment cross-over design with 3 interventions delivered in a quasi-randomized order determined by when the patients started the treatment program. State anxiety was measured via the state form of the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety for Children and relaxation scores were assessed with a Visual Analog Scale. Statistically significant changes were found in anxiety and relaxation outcomes across all interventions provided. Results suggest that music therapy services (using active music engagement, live patient-selected music, and music-assisted relaxation) may be an effective modality to decrease anxiety and increase relaxation levels in pediatric patients with amplified pain syndromes.

Parent psychological flexibility in the context of pediatric pain: Brief assessment and associations with parent behaviour and child functioning.

BACKGROUND: The parent's role in the context of pediatric chronic pain is essential. There is growing evidence that parent psychological flexibility positively impacts child functioning. To assess parents' abilities to respond with psychological flexibility to their child's pain, the Parent Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (PPFQ) was developed. Here, we aim to validate the 10-item version of the questionnaire in an English-speaking population and to evaluate associations with parent behaviour, child pain acceptance and functioning. METHODS: Five hundred and seventy-eight parent-child dyads presenting at a pediatric pain clinic were included (92% mothers, average child age 15.2 ± 1.6 years). The PPFQ was completed by the parent. Parent and child also completed other standardized questionnaires. In addition to confirmatory factor analysis and assessments of reliability and validity of the PPFQ-10, a mediation analysis was performed to examine the direct and indirect effects of parent psychological flexibility on child functioning. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor model with subscales for Values-Based Action, Pain Willingness and Emotional Acceptance, and the PPFQ-10 demonstrated strong psychometric properties. After controlling for child pain, parent psychological flexibility indirectly affected child functioning through its association with both parent behaviour (i.e., protectiveness) and child pain acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide further support for use of the PPFQ-10 and the importance of assessing and addressing parent psychological flexibility in the context of child chronic pain. Our data show that parent psychological flexibility has an important adaptive role and can impact child functioning through two different routes, both of which can be actively targeted in treatment. SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings demonstrate that the PPFQ-10 is an efficient measure of parent psychological flexibility, demonstrating strong psychometric properties. Furthermore, our analyses showed that parent psychological flexibility indirectly affects child functioning through associations with both adaptive parent behaviour and child functioning. Taken together, this study furthers the understanding of how parent psychological flexibility operates and affects children with chronic pain, and may inform and optimize treatments aimed at improving functioning by addressing child and parent coping.

Neuropsychological Functioning of Youth Receiving Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment.

Objective: Chronic pain is associated with school difficulties; however, there is limited published evidence on the cognitive or neuropsychological functioning of youth with chronic pain. Method: When beginning intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment, 94 youth (age = 10-18) with chronic pain completed neuropsychological assessment (e.g., intelligence, academic skills, learning and recall, and attention) and clinical questionnaires (e.g., pain and physical and psychological functioning). We compared neuropsychological scores with test norms and with clinical questionnaires. Results: Youth with chronic pain had higher verbal comprehension and full scale IQ scores than expected, below-average nondominant hand dexterity, and difficulty with visual recall. Self-reported difficulties with executive functioning were associated with small-to-moderate difficulties with objectively measured attention. Performance on neuropsychological measures was generally not associated with pain, impairment, anxiety, or depression, though catastrophizing was negatively correlated with perceptual reasoning. An expected number of these youth had learning disorders (14%); however, more than expected had an autism spectrum disorder (9%) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (18%), and nearly a quarter demonstrated characteristics of nonverbal learning disability (22%). Conclusions: Some of these cognitive findings may be a consequence of chronic pain, and others may reflect subtle neurodevelopmental differences that may predate or be comorbid with pain. Regardless of etiology, with more than half the current sample experiencing some type of learning challenge, often undiagnosed, pediatric psychologists evaluating youth with chronic pain may wish to screen for comorbid learning difficulties.

Parent Responses to Child Pain During Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment and 1-Year Follow-Up.

Targeting parents' responses to their child's pain during intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) could influence child functioning. This longitudinal, observational study investigated changes in these responses and concurrent relationships between parent responses and changes in levels of child functioning and pain. Parents of youths 10 to 19 years of age (mean = 15 years, SD = 1.98 years) participated in twice weekly, parent-only groups while their teens were enrolled in IIPT (mean length of treatment = 3.93 weeks, SD = 1.16 weeks). Parent responses to child symptoms, as well as child pain and functional disability, were assessed weekly during treatment (n = 114) and at 3 follow-up visits: 1 month (n = 96), 6 months (n = 68), and 12 months (n = 45). Longitudinal multilevel modeling analyses indicated statistically significant decreases during treatment in parents' protective, monitoring, and minimizing responses and further improvement in all responses during follow-up. These changes were associated with concurrent changes in child disability. However, changes in parent behaviors occurred independently from changes in child pain levels. Baseline child characteristics affected neither baseline parent responses to pain nor changes over time. Results indicate that, in the context of IIPT, parental responses are amenable to change and that these changes may impact child pain-related functioning, providing further support for the role of parent-specific programming within IIPT. PERSPECTIVE: During intensive IIPT, parents made statistically significant changes in responses to their child's pain, which was associated with improvements in child disability, but not child pain. Changes were sustained through 1-year follow-up. Targeting parental responses to child pain is feasible and may relate to improved child functioning.

The Relationship Between Pain Characteristics, Peer Difficulties, and Emotional Functioning Among Adolescents Seeking Treatment for Chronic Pain: A Test of Mediational Models.

Objective: To evaluate patterns of relationships between pain characteristics, peer difficulties, and emotional functioning in a sample of adolescents seeking treatment for chronic pain. Methods: Participants were 172 adolescents (age M = 14.88 years; 76% female, 88% White) with heterogeneous chronic pain disorders who completed measures of pain characteristics, peer difficulties, and emotional functioning before their new patient appointment in a pain management clinic. Direct and indirect relationships between variables were tested using path analysis. Results: Adequate model fit was found for models that specified emotional functioning (anxiety and depression) as a mediator of the relationship between pain interference and peer difficulties. Conversely, poor fit was found for all models specifying peer difficulties as a mediator of the relationship between pain characteristics and emotional functioning. Conclusions: Assessing and targeting depression and anxiety among youth with high pain interference may help prevent or improve peer difficulties.

Adaptation of the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety for Use in Children: A Preliminary Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety has both state/trait and cognitive/somatic dimensions, and these distinctions may be particularly relevant for children with medical problems. This two-part study adapted the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA) and confirmed its factor structure in a sample of children in a primary care clinic. METHODS: STICSA items were adapted for reading level and piloted in a small group of children. Next, 250 children (12.3 ± 2.7 years) completed the adapted version, the STICSA-C. RESULTS: Separate confirmatory factor analyses conducted on the State and Trait forms of the STICSA-C confirmed the two-factor structure of the original measure (i.e., cognitive and somatic anxiety) and suggested an improved parsimonious model. CONCLUSIONS: Support was found for use of the STICSA-C as a reasonably good internally consistent measure for assessing cognitive and somatic anxiety in pediatric samples. Further investigation of its reliability and validity with replication in pediatric populations is warranted.

Parent Attitudes Toward Pain Management for Childhood Immunizations.

OBJECTIVES: Evidence-based pain-limiting strategies for pediatric immunizations remain underutilized, with barriers identified to date mostly pertaining to health care providers and systems of care. The present study sought to quantify and investigate parent attitudes toward pain management as another potential barrier to the routine use of pain-mitigating strategies during immunizations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questionnaires measuring parent attitudes, willingness to pay, and perceived barriers for using pain management for immunizations were completed by 259 parent/guardians of children ages 0 to 5 years attending appointments at an urban primary care clinic in the Midwestern United States. RESULTS: Parent attitudes toward pain management for immunization were relatively normally distributed and varied from strongly positive to negative, with 33% of parents disagreeing that they were concerned about the pain their child may experience and 50% agreeing that there are no lasting negative effects from immunization pain. Negative parent attitudes were associated with willingness to spend less in money or time for pain management and with greater perceived significance of cost, time, and other barriers for using pain-mitigating strategies. DISCUSSION: Some parents perceive limited value in trying to reduce pain during immunizations such that they may be hesitant to invest much time or effort in interventions. Greater success of translating evidence-based pain management into practice therefore may require accounting for differences in parent attitudes by tailoring educational efforts and pain management options accordingly.

A brief primary care intervention to reduce fear of movement in chronic low back pain patients.

Fear avoidance model of chronic pain-based interventions are effective, but have not been successfully implemented into primary care. It was hypothesized that speed walking times and key measures of the fear avoidance model would improve following the brief intervention delivered in primary care. A brief primary care-based intervention (PCB) that included a single educational session, speed walking (an in vivo desensitization exposure task), and visual performance feedback was designed to reduce fear avoidance beliefs and improve function in 4 patients with chronic low back pain. A multiple baseline across subjects with a changing criterion design indicated that speed walking times improved from baseline only after the PCB intervention was delivered. Six fear avoidance model outcome measures improved from baseline to end of study and five of six outcome measures improved from end of study to follow-up. This study provides evidence for the efficacy of a brief PCB fear avoidance intervention that was successfully implemented into a busy clinic for the treatment of chronic pain.

The role of parent psychological flexibility in relation to adolescent chronic pain: further instrument development.

UNLABELLED: Parental responses to their child's pain are associated with the young person's functioning. Psychological flexibility--defined as the capacity to persist with or change behavior, depending on one's values and the current situation, while recognizing cognitive and noncognitive influences on behavior--may provide a basis for further investigating the role of these responses. The Parent Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (PPFQ) is a promising but preliminary measure of this construct. Parents of 332 young people with pain (301 mothers, 99 fathers, 68 dyads) completed the PPFQ during appointments in a pediatric pain clinic. Initial item screening eliminated 6 of the 31 items. Mothers' and fathers' data were then subjected to separate principal components analyses with oblique rotation, resulting in a 4-factor solution including 17 items, with subscales suggesting Values-Based Action, Pain Acceptance, Emotional Acceptance, and Pain Willingness. The PPFQ correlated significantly with adolescent-rated pain acceptance, functional disability, and depression. Differences were observed between mothers' and fathers' PPFQ scores, in particular, those related to school absence and fears of physical injury. The 17-item PPFQ appears reasonable for research and clinical use and may potentially identify areas for intervention with parents of young people with chronic pain. PERSPECTIVE: Parent psychological flexibility, as measured by the PPFQ, appears relevant to functioning, depression, and pain acceptance in adolescents with chronic pain. This model may help tie parental responses to adolescent distress and disability and may help clarify the development and maintenance of disability within the context of chronic pain.

Amplified pain syndromes in children: treatment and new insights into disease pathogenesis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although many diagnostic terms are used for pediatric chronic pain, evidence suggests a common thread of signal amplification, leading to the unifying term 'amplified pain syndromes'. Ongoing research provides new insights into biopsychosocial contributors and treatments for pediatric amplified pain syndromes. RECENT FINDINGS: Basic science indicates a complex interplay of genetic, epigenetic, neurochemical, endocrine, and inflammatory contributors, along with environmental and psychological factors. Although medications and interventions remain common approaches to children with chronic pain, their evidence is limited. Preliminary evidence exists for mindfulness-based therapies, yoga, and other complementary/alternative medicine approaches. The strongest evidence is for exercise-based and cognitive-behavioral treatments, in particular, when combined in a multidisciplinary format. Intensive approaches (pain rehabilitation) have the potential to effectively and efficiently treat those most disabled by amplified pain syndromes, and lead to sustained improvement in pain, functioning, and medical utilization. SUMMARY: Although understanding of the mechanisms underlying pediatric amplified pain syndromes evolves, standard of care is multidisciplinary emphasizing exercise therapy, cognitive-behavioral treatment, and self-regulation. Treatment should target full return to physical function, which leads to subsequent improvement or resolution of pain. Multidisciplinary care can be coordinated by a rheumatologist or other physician with appropriate referrals, or through a multidisciplinary team.

Effectiveness of using noncontingent escape for general behavior management in a pediatric dental clinic.

In a randomized controlled trial, 151 children 2 to 9 years old were exposed to either usual behavior management or to a fixed-time schedule of brief breaks (noncontingent escape) from ongoing dental treatment. Results demonstrated that the routine delivery of scheduled breaks from treatment significantly reduced the vocal and physical disruptive behavior and the need for restraint in a nonclinical sample of children undergoing restorative dental treatment. In addition, the treatment did not add significantly to the typical time spent on behavior management by dentists. Together with findings from previous studies, these results suggest that using brief breaks from ongoing dental treatment has good efficacy, acceptability, and generality and may be a useful management tool, both in everyday dental practice and in more demanding instances of specialized need.

Acceptance of pain: associations with depression, catastrophizing, and functional disability among children and adolescents in an interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were: (1) investigate relations between pain acceptance, depressive symptoms, catastrophizing, and functional disability in pediatric patients in an interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program, (2) examine changes in acceptance from pre- to posttreatment, and (3) test if changes in acceptance predict changes in depressive symptoms, catastrophizing, and functional disability from pre- to posttreatment. METHODS: 112 participants, ages 11-18 years, completed the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, Adolescent Version, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression-Children's Scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Children, and Functional Disability Inventory on admission to and completion of the program. RESULTS: Significant and strong relations between acceptance, depression, catastrophizing, and functional disability were demonstrated. Participants demonstrated significant increases in acceptance and decreases in depression, catastrophizing, and functional disability. Finally, changes in acceptance significantly predicted changes in depressive symptoms, catastrophizing, and functional disability. CONCLUSIONS: Pain acceptance is an important variable in the treatment of pediatric chronic pain.

Evaluation of a behavioral treatment package to reduce sleep problems in children with Angelman Syndrome.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of a behavioral treatment package to reduce chronic sleep problems in children with Angelman Syndrome. Participants were five children, 2-11 years-of-age. Parents maintained sleep diaries to record sleep and disruptive nighttime behaviors. Actigraphy was added to provide independent evaluations of sleep-wake activity. The treatment package targeted the sleep environment, the sleep-wake schedule, and parent-child interactions during sleep times. Treatment was introduced sequentially, across families, and evaluated in an interrupted time series, multiple baseline design. Data show that prior to treatment, baseline rates of nighttime disruptive behavior were stable or increasing and none of the participants were falling to sleep independently. With the introduction of treatment, all participants quickly learned to initiate sleep independently. Gradual reductions were reported in disruptive behaviors and these improvements were sustained over time. Results were replicated with two participants when treatment was withdrawn and reinstated. Changes in disruptive bedtime behaviors and in sleep onset were found to be statistically significant. Parents indicated high satisfaction with the treatment. A behavioral treatment package was found to be effective with five children with long histories of significant sleep-related behavior problems. These results suggest that behavioral treatment may be a reasonable way to address sleep problems in some children with Angelman Syndrome.

Use of video eyewear to manage distress in children during restorative dental treatment.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of video eyewear in reducing disruptive behavior in a typical pediatric dental population during restorative treatment appointments. METHODS: One hundred twenty-eight 4- to 16-year-olds were recruited from a continuous sample of patients seen in an urban dental clinic. Direct observations of distress, self-reported measures of pain, and patient satisfaction were obtained in a randomized clinical trial comparing 2 different types of glasses: (1) wraparound video eyewear; and (2) sunglasses (typical treatment in this dental clinic). RESULTS: Analyses of covariance, using treatment condition (control vs experimental) as the primary independent variable and controlling for the effects of age, found that children wearing video eyewear glasses demonstrated significantly less disruptive behavior than those in the control group and that they liked their eyewear significantly better than those wearing the regular sunglasses. CONCLUSIONS: Wraparound video eyewear can be an effective approach to managing distress in children undergoing restorative dental treatment.

Covert video monitoring in the assessment of medically unexplained symptoms in children.

OBJECTIVE: Diagnosis of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) occurs after thorough evaluations have failed to identify a physiological cause for symptoms. However, families and providers may wonder if something has been missed, leading to reduced confidence in behavioral treatment. Confidence may be improved through the use of technology such as covert video monitoring to better assess functioning across settings. METHODS: A 12-year-old male presented with progressive neurological decline, precipitated by chronic pain. After thorough evaluation and the failure of standard treatments (medical, rehabilitative, and psychological) covert video monitoring revealed that the patient demonstrated greater abilities when alone in his room. Negative reinforcement was used to initiate recovery, accompanied by positive reinforcement and a rehabilitative approach. Covert video monitoring assisted in three subsequent cases over the following 3 years. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In certain complex cases, video monitoring can inform the assessment and treatment of MUS. Discussion includes ethical and practical considerations.