Adolescents' Experience of Pain: A Focus Group Study in Sweden.
Camilla Perming, Eva-Lena Einberg, Sarah Bekaert and 1 others
PMID 37960838WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents described pain as a warning bell from stress, schoolwork, relationships, and grief.
They managed it by distracting themselves, enduring, using painkillers or heat pads, and asking parents, friends, or school nurses for help.
Key findings
01Adolescents saw pain as a warning signal that something was wrong, including stress, school demands, and interpersonal problems.
02School stress and prolonged sitting were linked to headaches, stomachaches, and back or neck pain that reduced motivation and schoolwork performance.
03Coping included distraction, enduring pain, medication or complementary treatments, and help-seeking, but some described self-harm as short-term relief they knew was harmful.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Findings came from two schools in southern Sweden and a convenience sample of self-selected adolescents, so they may not transfer to all adolescents. Only 9 males and 32 females participated, and there were no male-only focus groups, so male voices may be missing. Focus groups explored both stress and pain within a short school time frame, which may have limited full exploration. One-to-one interviews might have allowed deeper exploration of sensitive topics, but personal issues such as childhood pain could not be pursued in a group. The interview guide was developed for ages 10–19 and used with younger children, so it may not capture all developmental nuance for adolescents. Qualitative themes describe experiences and coping; they do not show whether any school-nursing strategy reduces pain or improves outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that school-nursing advice changes adolescent pain. The study was qualitative, involved self-selected adolescents from two schools, and did not test an intervention or measure outcomes.