title: The role of state anxiety in children's memories for pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the impact of experimentally manipulated state anxiety and the influence of anxiety-related variables on children's memories for pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 110 children (60 boys) between the ages of 8 and 12 years were randomly assigned to complete a state anxiety induction task or a control task. Following experimental manipulation, children completed a laboratory pain task, pain ratings, and questionnaire measures of anxiety-related variables. 2 weeks later, children provided pain ratings based on their memories of the pain task.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The experimental manipulation effectively induced state anxiety; however, pain memories did not differ between groups. Irrespective of group assignment, children with higher state anxiety had more negative pain memories. State anxiety uniquely predicted children's pain memories over and above other well established factors. Anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety were significant predictors of recalled pain-related fear.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data highlight the importance of anxiety in the development of children's memories for pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University. melanie.noel@dal.ca
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noel
authors.forename: Christine T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.forename: Raymond M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Sherry H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations