title: Child and Family Antecedents of Pain During the Transition to Adolescence: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study.
abstract: Pediatric persistent pain is associated with poorer physical and psychosocial functioning in children, as well as immediate and long-term societal costs. Onset typically occurs in early adolescence, suggesting that late childhood is a key window for identifying potential intervention targets before pain symptoms become entrenched. This study used population-based data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n = 3,812) and adopted a biopsychosocial and ecological systems approach to investigate child, family, and sociodemographic factors associated with pain problems in children transitioning to adolescence. The prevalence of at least weekly parent-reported pain in the study sample was approximately 5% at 10 to 11 years of age, and pain continued at 12 to 13 years of age for 40% of these children. Key factors at 10 to 11 years that uniquely predicted parent-reported pain problems at 12 to 13 years were frequency of previous pain (1-3 times weekly: odds ratio [OR] = 7.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.3-13.0; 4-7 times weekly: OR = 17.8; 95% CI, 8.7-36.5) and sleep difficulties (OR = 1.86; 95% CI, 1.16-2.97). This study highlights the importance of early intervention for persistent pain in childhood, because pain complaints in late childhood tend to persist into early adolescence.
  
  
  
  This article used a biopsychosocial and ecological systems approach to understanding predictors of pain problems during the transition to adolescence within a nationally representative community-based cohort. Sleep difficulties at 10 to 11 years uniquely predicted pain at ages 12 to 13 years, suggesting that early intervention using sleep interventions may be a promising direction for future research.
authors: Department of Paediatric Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: emily.incledon@rch.org.au.
authors: Emily
authors: E
authors: Incledon
authors: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors: Meredith
authors: M
authors: O'Connor
authors: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Giallo
authors: Department of Paediatric Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors: George A
authors: GA
authors: Chalkiadis
authors: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors: Tonya M
authors: TM
authors: Palermo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018672:Community Health Planning; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology
keywords: Child; adolescent; family; longitudinal studies; pain