Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002 Dec;27(8):689-98.
doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/27.8.689.

Social consequences of children's pain: when do they encourage symptom maintenance?

Lynn S Walker  1 , Robyn Lewis Claar, Judy Garber
Affiliations

Social consequences of children's pain: when do they encourage symptom maintenance?

Lynn S Walker et al. J Pediatr Psychol. 2002 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the influence of social factors (e.g., attention, relief from responsibility) and children's perceived competence on pediatric symptom maintenance.

Methods: Participants were 151 pediatric patients (ages 8-18) with recurrent abdominal pain. They were interviewed at a clinic visit and again 2 weeks later. The Social Consequences of Pain questionnaire assessed four types of social consequences: positive attention, negative attention, activity restriction, and privileges.

Results: Two types of social consequences (positive attention and activity restriction) predicted greater symptom maintenance, but this effect was moderated by children's perceived self-worth and academic competence. To the extent that children rated their self-worth and academic competence as low, the impact of social factors on symptom maintenance was stronger.

Conclusions: Children's success in their normal social roles may affect the extent to which they identify with the sick role and find it a rewarding alternative to other social roles.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Regression lines controlling for initial (T1) CSI symptom scores and predicting T2 CSI symptom scores for patients with low (−1 SD) and high (+1 SD) scores on Global Self-Worth and varying levels of scores on SCP Activity Restriction.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Regression lines controlling for initial (T1) CSI symptom scores and predicting T2 CSI symptom scores for patients with low (−1 SD) and high (+1 SD) scores on Global Self-Worth and varying levels of scores on SCP Positive Attention.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Regression lines controlling for initial (T1) CSI symptom scores and predicting T2 CSI symptom scores for patients with low (−1 SD) and high (+1 SD) scores on Global Self-Worth and varying levels of scores on SCP Negative Attention.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 3. Washington, DC: Author; 1987. rev.
    1. Apley J. The child with abdominal pains. London: Blackwell; 1975.
    1. Bijttbier P, Vertommen H. Antecedents, concomitants and consequences of pediatric headache: Confirmatory construct validation of two parent-report scales. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 1999;22:437–456. - PubMed
    1. Blount RL, Corbin SM, Sturges JW, Wolfe VV, Prater JM, James LD. The relationship between adults’ behavior and child coping and distress during BMA/LP procedures: A sequential analysis. Behavior Therapy. 1989;20:585–601.
    1. Craig KD. Modeling and social learning factors in chronic pain. In: Bonica J, editor. Advances in pain research. Vol. 5. New York: Raven Press; 1978. pp. 813–827.

Publication types