Sleep, stress, neurocognitive profile and health-related quality of life in adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to measure levels of sleep, stress, and depression, as well as health-related quality of life, and to assess the neurocognitive profiles in a sample of adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain.


METHODS
Nineteen adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain and 20 age-matched healthy control subjects were evaluated regarding their levels of sleep and stress, as well as quality of life, and underwent neurocognitive testing.


RESULTS
The sample groups consisted predominantly of females (84%), and the socioeconomic status did not differ between the two groups. In addition, the occurrence of depressive symptoms was similar between the two groups; specifically, 26% of the idiopathic musculoskeletal pain patients and 30% of the control subjects had scores indicative of depression. Teenagers in the group with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain reported poorer quality of life and sleep scores than those in the control group. Regarding stress, patients had worse scores than the control group; whereas 79% of the adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain met the criteria for a diagnosis of stress, only 35% of the adolescents in the control group met the criteria. In both groups, we observed scores that classified adolescents as being in the resistance phase (intermediate) and exhaustion phase (pathological) of distress. However, the idiopathic musculoskeletal pain group more frequently reported symptomatic complaints of physical and emotional distress. The neurocognitive assessment showed no significant impairments in either group.


CONCLUSIONS
Adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain did not exhibit cognitive impairments. However, adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain did experience intermediate to advanced psychological distress and lower health-related quality of life, which may increase their risk of cognitive dysfunction in the future.
Pediatric Rheumatology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
Juliana
J
Molina
Flávia Heloísa
FH
Dos Santos
Maria Teresa R A
MT
Terreri
Melissa Mariti
MM
Fraga
Simone Guerra
SG
Silva
Maria Odete E
MO
Hilário
Claudio A
CA
Len
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*