(242) - PROMIS-29 profiles of mothers with chronic pain associated with children's physical and emotional functioning

Abstract

Children of mothers with chronic pain are at increased risk for poor mental and physical health outcomes. However, the mechanisms for why some children are at greater risk than others are largely unknown. Our study identified comprehensive profiles of physical and mental health symptoms in mothers with chronic pain utilizing the PROMIS-29 Profile and evaluated associations among maternal profiles and physical and emotional functioning in children. Mothers with chronic pain and their 8 to 12 year-old children (n = 185 dyads) were recruited through an ongoing multisite longitudinal study examining the impact of maternal chronic pain on children. Mothers completed the PROMIS-29 Profile which assesses pain intensity, pain interference, physical functioning, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and participation in social roles. Mothers completed proxy-report measures and children reported on their own physical and emotional functioning. Latent class analysis of the PROMIS domains indicated a 4-class solution (Class 1: Low Pain/Low Psych, 24.9%; Class 2: Severe Pain/Low Psych, 5.4%; Class 3: Moderate Pain/High Psych, 45.4%; Class 4: Severe Pain/High Psych, 24.3%). Maternal profiles were significantly associated with mothers' perceptions of children's anxiety and depressive symptoms, but not children's self-report. Specifically, mothers with Moderate Pain/High Psych or Severe Pain/High Psych profiles reported higher levels of anxious and depressive symptoms in their children. Further, mothers with Severe Pain/High Psych profiles compared to mothers with Low Pain/Low Psych profiles were 2.72 times more likely to have taken their child to a physician for a current pain problem. Results suggest that children of mothers with moderate to severe pain and high levels of comorbid mental health symptoms may be at greatest risk for poor physical and mental health outcomes. Developing preventive interventions targeting comorbid psychological symptoms in mothers with chronic pain may reduce children's risk for chronic pain and psychiatric disorders.