Don't judge a book by its cover: Exploring low self-reported distress and repressive coping in a pediatric chronic pain population.
Danielle A Ruskin, Stella Dentakos, Stephanie Craig and 7 others
PMID 35499965WHAT IT FOUND
In pediatric chronic pain, children with low reported anxiety but high social desirability reported more pain intensity and bother, yet lower depression and somatic symptoms than truly low-anxious peers.
Key findings
01Of 106 children assessed for group classification, 36 were classified as repressors and 21 as true low anxious.
02Repressors reported higher current pain and pain bother than true low anxious children, but lower depression and somatization scores.
03The groups did not differ on pain catastrophizing or clinician-rated disability.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was a retrospective chart review of routine clinical assessments, not a randomized trial or treatment study. Only 57 of the 106 children assessed were included in the analyzed groups, so the sample was small. The children were already referred for a pain psychology assessment, so they may not represent all children with chronic pain. Low anxiety was defined using a median score of 53, not a clinical cutoff, so many children labeled low anxious were within normal limits. Many statistical comparisons were run, so some borderline findings need caution. About 11.5% of data were missing, and cases with missing values were removed from each analysis. The functional disability scale was clinician-rated but not empirically validated.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read low self-reported distress as a sign that a child has little pain or need. In this sample, repressors reported higher current pain and pain bother while reporting lower depression and somatic symptoms.