Parent Psychological Flexibility in Pediatric Chronic Pain

Abstract

Abstract Pediatric chronic pain is embedded in a broader social context, especially within parent-youth relationships. Parent risk factors have been associated with poor functional outcomes in youth with chronic pain. Research delineating the adaptive role of parent psychological flexibility in the context of pediatric chronic pain remains limited. The study applied a biopsychosocial and ecological framework towards understanding adaptive influences of parental responses to youth’s pain related functional outcomes. The study aims to examine associations between adaptive parental responses and youth’s functional disability, specifically related to parent psychological flexibility. 127 youth (66.1% female) with mixed etiology chronic pain, ranging in age from 8 to 17 years (M = 12.24; SD = 1.598), and their parent or guardian participated in the study at an interdisciplinary pediatric pain clinic within a public hospital and online pain peer support groups. Measures of demographic and pain characteristics, youth’s functional disability, pain acceptance, and parent psychological flexibility were collected. Regression results indicated that youth’s reported pain intensity [B = 3.01, SE = 0.441, p < .0005], and parent psychological flexibility [B = -0.006, SE = 0.003, p = 0.042] were independently associated with youth’s self-reported functional disability. Findings underscore the importance of assessing parental factors when examining pain-related functional disability in pediatric chronic pain. Findings further support how parent psychological flexibility positively impacts youth’s pain related functioning. Implications highlight the need for inclusion of parents as targets for change in clinical interventions and may further optimize treatments aimed at improving the functioning of youth with pain by addressing parent coping. Perspective: The article explores the adaptive role of parent psychological flexibility in the context of pediatric chronic pain. Findings underscore the importance of assessing parental factors when examining pain related functional disability and support targeting parents in clinical interventions to optimize pediatric pain-related functional outcomes.