Chronic multisite pain in adolescent girls and boys with emotional and behavioral problems: the Young-HUNT study

• Published in: European child & adolescent psychiatry 2015-05, Vol.24 (5), p.503-515
• Main Authors: Skrove, Marit, Romundstad, Pål, Indredavik, Marit S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Analgesics - administration & dosage; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - etiology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - etiology; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Child development; Children & youth; Chronic pain; Chronic Pain - drug therapy; Chronic Pain - epidemiology; Chronic Pain - psychology; Comorbidity; Conduct Disorder - epidemiology; Conduct Disorder - etiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - etiology; Emotions; Female; Girls; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - etiology; Norway - epidemiology; Original Contribution; Phobic Disorders - epidemiology; Phobic Disorders - etiology; Prevalence; Psychiatry; Psychological aspects; Resilience, Psychological; Self Concept; Self esteem; Social Behavior; Social Behavior Disorders - epidemiology; Social Behavior Disorders - etiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1018-8827; 1435-165X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00787-014-0601-4

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of chronic multisite pain with high disability in relation to emotional or behavioral problems and resilience factors in adolescence. A second aim was to investigate if resilience factors could attenuate the associations between psychiatric symptoms and chronic multisite pain. The study was based on a large cross-sectional study carried out in Norway between 2006 and 2008 and included 7,070 adolescents aged 13–19 years. Chronic multisite pain was defined as pain at least once a week during the last 3 months, scoring high on a disability index, and occurring in three or more locations. Chronic multisite pain was prevalent among adolescents with high scores (>85 %) for anxiety/depression, social anxiety, conduct or attention problems (22.8–31.0 % for girls, 8.8–19.0 % for boys). Several coexistent psychiatric symptoms increased the prevalence of chronic multisite pain for both girls and boys. Resilience factors, including high self-esteem, seldom feeling lonely, and high scores for family cohesion or social competence, were associated with a lower prevalence and markedly attenuated the association between psychiatric symptoms and chronic multisite pain. Psychiatrists should be careful to assess and treat comorbid chronic pain in adolescents with emotional or behavioral problems.