Psychological predictors of performance-based physical functioning among pediatric pain program participants.
Elizaveta Bourchtein, Alix McLaughlin, Kimberly Walainis and 3 others
PMID 38427508WHAT IT FOUND
Youth in a four-week pain program improved on treadmill endurance and gross motor tests.
Baseline depression predicted worse endurance and catastrophizing predicted worse motor skills, but neither predicted outcomes after treatment.
Key findings
01Performance-based physical functioning improved significantly from pre- to post-treatment.
02Baseline depressive symptoms were associated with poorer baseline endurance, but not with post-treatment endurance.
03Baseline pain catastrophizing was associated with poorer baseline gross motor skills, but not with post-treatment skills.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
No control group or treatment-as-usual comparison, so improvements cannot be definitively attributed to the specific program components. Psychological factors were measured only at baseline, so changes in these factors during treatment were not tracked. Small sample size (n=55) and predominantly White, female participants limit generalizability. Follow-up was immediate post-treatment only, so long-term sustainability of gains is unknown.
Declared interests
The authors reported no funding and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that psychological factors like depression and catastrophizing do not matter for physical function. They were strongly associated with baseline performance. The lack of association post-treatment may reflect the specific success of this intensive multidisciplinary program rather than a general rule for all pain treatments.