Parent–child interactions among children with juvenile fibromyalgia, arthritis, and healthy controls

Abstract

Parent–child interactions during pain-inducing exercise tasks among children (11–17 years old) with fibromyalgia, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and pain-free controls were examined and the contribution of parent–child interactions to disability was tested. Fifteen children in each of the three diagnostic groups and their parents completed 5-min exercise tasks and completed questionnaire measures of disability (Functional Disability Inventory) and coping (Pain Coping Questionnaire). There were few group differences in parent–child interactions. After controlling for children's ratings of pain evoked by the exercise, group differences in interactions during exercise tasks were no longer significant. Sequential analyses, controlling for group and exercise task, revealed that when parents made statements discouraging coping following children's negative verbalizations about the task or pain, children were less likely to be on task, compared to when parents made statements encouraging coping or when parents made any other statements. Children's general pain coping strategies were not related to parent–child interactions. Parent–child interactions were generally not related to disability. Across the groups, more pain and less time on task during the exercises were related to Functional Disability Inventory scores and more school absences. Parent–child interaction patterns influence children's adaptation to pain during experimental tasks. Parents' discouragement of coping in response to their children's negative statements related to the pain or the pain-evoking task are counter productive to children's ability to maintain activity in a mildly painful situation.