Path Analysis Between Family Functioning and Mental Health in People With Neuropathic Pain: Roles of Pain Intensity, Self-Perceived Burden, Pain Catastrophizing, and Functional Status.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the pathways between family functioning and mental health in people with neuropathic pain, as well as to discuss the mediating role of pain intensity, self-perceived burden, pain catastrophizing, and functional status. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design reported using the STROBE guidelines. METHODS: A total of 277 people with neuropathic pain completed face-to-face questionnaires to evaluate family functioning, pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, self-perceived burden, functional status, and mental health. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was constructed to analyze the pathways between these variables. RESULTS: The positive total effect between family functioning and mental health was significant and partially mediated by self-perceived burden, pain catastrophizing, and functional status. In addition, better family functioning was associated with higher pain intensity, which worsens self-perceived burden, pain catastrophizing, and functional status, masking 23.68% of the positive effects between family functioning and mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Better family functioning was associated with better mental health, as explained by reduced self-perceived burden, reduced pain catastrophizing, and improved functional status. However, this benefit may be partially masked by the relationship that better family functioning explains higher pain intensity. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Nurses' comprehensive assessment and management of neuropathic pain from both the family and individual levels, such as family functioning, pain intensity, self-perceived burden, pain catastrophizing, and functional status, may be beneficial in promoting patients' mental health. In addition, it is necessary to identify why good family functioning is associated with higher pain intensity and intervene in this regard.

Pain intensity and self-perceived burden mediate the relationship between family functioning and pain catastrophizing in patients with neuropathic pain.

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between family functioning, pain intensity, self-perceived burden, and pain catastrophizing. Moreover, we also wanted to explore the multiple mediating roles of pain intensity and self-perceived burden. From October 2022 to March 2023, 252 Chinese people with neuropathic pain completed face-to-face questionnaires to assess family functioning, pain intensity, self-perceived burden, and pain catastrophizing. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and a structural equation model. The results showed better family functioning was significantly associated with more intense pain, less self-perceived burden, and less pain catastrophizing. Mediation analysis showed that family functioning could indirectly affect pain catastrophizing through pain intensity and self-perceived burden in addition to a direct effect on pain catastrophizing. Moreover, the mediating variable of pain intensity played a masking role. These findings suggest that good family functioning can effectively reduce the self-perceived burden and pain catastrophizing in patients with neuropathic pain. However, family functioning cannot show its maximum effectiveness, and it may be necessary to construct a model of family functioning suitable for patients with neuropathic pain in the future.

Post-operative pain in children: Comparison of pain scores between parents and children.

AIM: To compare the relationship between parent-child postoperative pain scores and explore the factors that led to the difference in the score. METHODS: Convenience sampling was used to select children and their parents who were 5-14 years old and scheduled for elective surgery as study subjects. When the child returned to the ward after surgery, the parent and child used the pain assessment tool to score the child's postoperative pain, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 214 children and their parents were included in the study. The results showed that the postoperative pain scores of parents and children were 3.69 ± 2.47 and 4.05 ± 2.90, respectively, and there were differences between the scores (P < 0.05). The results of multiple linear regression indicated that whether the child used Patient-Controlled Analgesia, different types of surgery and parents' pre-operative anxiety may be the reasons for the differences in parent-child scores. CONCLUSION: The parents' pain scores differed from their children's pain scores. If health-care professionals wanted to use the parents' pain score to replace the child's pain score, consideration should be given to whether children used patient-controlled analgesia, different types of surgery and the parents' pre-operative anxiety on the parents' pain score.