Pain-related cognitions, pain complaints and somatic distress in children of chronic pain patients and children of healthy parents

The study sought to extend earlier findings suggesting that children of chronic pain patients are at a higher risk for experiencing somatic distress and recurrent pain. Specifically, potential mechanisms mediating the effects of a parental pain model were explored. A total of 19 pain patients and 20 healthy controls and their children were assessed. Children of chronic pain patients did not suffer from significantly more somatic symptoms and recurrent pain than children of healthy parents. Similarly, there was no overall group difference with regard to maladaptive pain-related cognitions. However, if suffering from recurrent pain, children of chronic pain patients reported a significantly longer history of the pain problem. Significant correlations between the pain-related cognitions endorsed by the parents and the children were obtained especially among the children of the chronic pain patients. Severity of the parental pain problem, pain-related interference and affective distress reported by the parents suffering from chronic pain were associated with more negative pain-related cognitions, a higher level of somatic distress and a. longer history of recurrent pain of the child. Consistent with the tenets of current psychobiological models of chronic pain the findings underline the importance of social modeling for the acquisition of a heightened vulnerability to develop somatic symptoms and pain problems in children of chronic pain patients.