Emotional distress and relational factors in adolescent children of chronic pain patients

The purpose of the present study was to examine emotional distress and relational factors in adolescent children of chronic pain patients. The study examined the role of several variables in the mediation of adolescent emotional distress including the gender of chronic pain patients and their adolescent children, parental depressive symptomatology, level of disability, marital adjustment, hostility,and the parent/adolescent relationship. A total of 38 chronic pain patients and their adolescent children (age 12-17) agreed to participate. The sample was divided into 10 mother/daughter dyads, 10 mother/son dyads, 9 father/daughter dyads, and 9 father/son dyads. Results revealed adolescent emotional distress to be similar to that found in previous literature. Adolescent children of chronic pain patients reported relatively low levels of emotional distress. Low levels of emotional distress were supported by interviews with the adolescents. Analyses of gender differences revealed depressive symptomatology to be significantly greater in female adolescents than in male adolescents. Results also revealed that gender of the parent was related to adolescent emotional functioning. Correlations suggested that mothers' chronic pain was less positively related to child emotional functioning, whereas fathers' chronic pain was more positively related to child emotional functioning. Suggestions for future research are discussed.