Child's and Parents' Catastrophizing about Pain is Associated with Procedural Fear in Children: A Study in Children with Diabetes and Their Mothers

Abstract

The contribution of the child's and parents' catastrophizing about pain was explored in explaining procedural pain and fear in children. Procedural fear and pain were investigated in 44 children with Type I diabetes undergoing a finger prick. The relationships between parents' catastrophizing and parents' own fear and estimates of their child's pain were also investigated. The children and their mothers completed questionnaires prior to a routine consultation with the diabetes physician. Children completed a situation-specific measure of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Children (PCS–C) and provided ratings of their experienced pain and fear on a 0–10 numerical rating scale (NRS). Parents completed a situation-specific measure of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale For Parents (PCS–P) and provided estimates of their child's pain and their own experienced fear on a 0–10 NRS. Analyses indicated that higher catastrophizing by children was associated with more fear and pain during the finger prick. Scores for parents' catastrophizing about their children's pain were positively related to parents' scores for their own fear, estimates of their children's pain, and child-reported fear, but not the amount of pain reported by the child. The findings attest to the importance of assessing for and targeting child and parents' catastrophizing about pain. Addressing catastrophizing and related fears and concerns of both parents and children may be necessary to assure appropriate self-management. Further investigation of the mechanisms relating catastrophizing to deleterious outcomes is warranted.

Conditioned Pain Modulation in Children and Adolescents: Effects of Sex and Age

“…Although some investigators using static pain tasks have found links between catastrophizing and pain reactivity among children, 26,33,49 others did not find such relationships. 4,39 It may be that the association between CPM and catastrophizing is less robust among children than it is in adults.…”

Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation

“…First are studies examining the impact of parental emotions and thoughts regarding the child’s experience on the child’s pain outcomes. For example, one study found associations between parental catastrophizing/fear about the child’s pain and child-reported fear of medical procedures 28. The child’s sex was controlled in analyses, rather than examined separately, suggesting that the findings held for both boys and girls.…”

Maternal distress in the context of their child’s type 1 diabetes: exploring the role of adaptive maternal emotion regulation on child outcomes

“…For details of the second part, see Vervoort et al (2011). In the hospital the research assistant obtained written parent consent and child assent.…”

“…Findings pertaining to other study aims have been reported elsewhere (see Vervoort et al, 2011). To be eligible for participation, the child (a) had to be diagnosed with T1D, (b) aged 8-15 years, (c) was not suffering another physical or pervasive developmental disorder, and (d) parent and child had to be Dutch-speaking.…”