Postoperative pain management in Latino families: parent beliefs about analgesics predict analgesic doses provided to children

Abstract

Background/objectives: The present study examined whether parental perceptions of children's pain impacted home-based pain management following outpatient surgery in a sample of Latino families from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Methods: Latino parents of children (n = 161) who underwent outpatient surgery were recruited for this study and completed measures assessing attitudes on pain and analgesic use (Parental Pain Expression Perceptions and Medication Attitudes Questionnaire) before their child's surgery. Parents also rated their child's pain after their child's surgery using the Parent Postoperative Pain Measure and collected data on the amount of analgesics they gave to their child on the first postoperative day. Hierarchical regression analyses examined whether parental attitudes predicted pain assessment and management at home.

Results: A majority of parents reported multiple misconceptions regarding children's pain and fears of side effects as well as avoidance of analgesic use. For example, over 80% reported believing that a child always tells their parents when they are in pain. Hierarchical regression analyses found that more fear and avoidance regarding analgesic use for children's pain predicted parents providing fewer doses of analgesic to their children on the first postoperative day (β = -0.21, P = 0.028).

Conclusions: Preoperative parents' beliefs regarding analgesics for treatment of children's pain may adversely impact parent postoperative analgesic administration at home in Latino families.

Keywords: Hispanic; adolescents; ambulatory surgery; health disparities.