Pediatric chronic pain in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: Lived experiences of youth and parents

Alexandra Neville, Tatiana Lund, Sabine Soltani, Abbie Jordan, Jennifer Stinson, Tieghan Killackey, Kathryn A. Birnie, Melanie Noel

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Abstract

During the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic youth with chronic pain have experienced additional barriers to accessing treatment and managing their pain. This study explored the experiences of youth with chronic pain and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 youth with chronic pain (aged 13–20 years) and one of their parents, recruited from a tertiary level pediatric chronic pain program. Interviews occurred between the months of June to August 2020 and enabled participants to describe their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic according to their own unique perspectives. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were generated and labelled: “temporality, mental health, and pain,” “coping with pain during a global pandemic,” “impact on care,” and “re-appraisal in the context of development and pandemic life.” Across these themes, youth and parents described their unique challenges of living with pain as they adapted to changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, youth experienced increased difficulties managing their mental health and pain, which were intricately connected and related to social isolation, temporality, and uncertainty exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted youth's access to care and their abilities to engage in coping strategies to manage their pain. The COVID-19 pandemic was also perceived to have interrupted youth's development and growing autonomy, prompting youth to re-appraise their current circumstances and imagined futures. Perspective: This manuscript provides an in-depth understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth with chronic pain and their parents. Youth and their parents perceived the COVID-19 pandemic to have impacted youth's mental health, pain, socio-emotional development, and access to care.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)841-851
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Pain
Volume23
Issue number5
Early online date13 Dec 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 May 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Disclosures: This research was supported by funding from the Vi Riddell Pediatric Pain Initiative, the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, and the Chronic Pain Network awarded to Dr. Noel. Alexandra Neville is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Doctoral Award and an Alberta Innovates Graduate Studentship. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Pain
  • children
  • parents
  • pediatric

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neurology
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

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