Browsing by Author "Minkkinen, Hanna"

Objectives – Pediatric chronic pain can result in mental health problems and functional disability. One of the important considerations in pediatric chronic pain is the influence of parental factors which are known to affect adolescents’ pain experience. However, there is still little research on this topic. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether parents’ self-efficacy (about their adolescent’s pain) changes after Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based intervention aimed at adolescents suffering from idiopathic musculoskeletal pain and their parents. Additionally, study examines whether parents’ self-efficacy is associated with adolescents’ pain. Methods – The study data (n = 49) were gathered at a pediatric rheumatological clinic in the Päijät-Häme Central Hospital between 2010 and 2015. Patients were adolescents aged between 13 and 17 (mean age 15,4, boys 15 %) and suffered from chronic idiopathic musculoskeletal pain. Adolescents participated in six month ACT based group intervention with one of their parents. Adolescents’ pain intensity and parents’ self-efficacy were assessed using self-reported questionnaires before and after the program and at a 6-month follow-up. The changes in parents’ self-efficacy and the associations between parents’ self-efficacy and adolescents’ pain were examined using linear mixed models. Results – There were neither significant changes in parents’ self-efficacy nor significant associations between parents’ self-efficacy and adolescents’ pain when self-efficacy was considered as a whole. However, parents’ confidence in their ability to influence adolescents’ pain and their perceptions of how well the adolescent was coping with the illness increased. Also, parents rated adolescent’s illness as less severe after the intervention. Adolescents’ pain was associated with parents’ confidence in their ability to influence on the adolescent’s pain, experienced support from partner and estimated severity of the adolescent’s illness. Additionally, there were associations between pain and interactions of both time and confidence in their ability to influence on the adolescent’s pain time and estimated severity of the adolescent’s illness. Conclusions – The study supports the view that parental factors should be considered when treating adolescents’ pain. By influencing parents’ pain beliefs, it is possible to diminish parents’ distress and pain promoting behaviors, which is associated with adolescent’s pain and functional disability.