Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Diagnostics of Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Practical Treatment Options for Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

By definition, a pain disorder is a biopsychosocial phenomenon. Irrespective of their individual proportion, diagnostics in pain disorders must always assess biological, psychological, and social factors in order to get the full picture. Medical diagnostic procedures investigate injuries, physical diseases, or inflammation as possible causes, or contributors, to pain. Psychological diagnostic procedures assess the emotional burden of pain, emotional determinants, the appearance of dysfunctional cognitions or coping strategies, and the degree of pain-related impairment of the child’s life. Diagnostics of social factors check for ­dysfunctional behavior within the family system or elsewhere, and the relationship between the pain disorder and dysfunctional behavior within the family, school, or peer group. Apart from the assessment of problematic influences, it is important to identify the child’s and his/her family’s specific resources. This chapter describes the procedures necessary for a comprehensive assessment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andrasik F, Schwartz MS (2006) Behavioral assessment and treatment of pediatric headache. Behav Modif 30(1):93–113

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chorpita BF, Yim L, Moffitt C, Umemoto LA, Francis SE (2000) Assessment of symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety and depression in children: a revised child anxiety and depression scale. Behav Res Ther 38(8):835–855

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dobe M, Damschen U, Reiffer-Wiesel B, Sauer C, Zernikow B (2006) Multimodal inpatient pain treatment in children – results of a three-week program. Schmerz 20(1):51–60

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dobe M, Hechler T, Behlert J, Kosfelder J, Zernikow B (2011) Pain therapy with children and adolescents severely disabled due to chronic pain – long-term outcome after inpatient pain therapy. Schmerz 25(4):411–422

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eccleston C, Morley S, Williams AC, Yorke L, Mastroyannopoulou K (2002) Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of psychological therapy for chronic pain in children and adolescents, with a subset of meta-analysis of pain relief. Pain 99(1–2):157–165

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eccleston C, Crombez G, Scotford A, Clinch J, Connell H (2004) Adolescent chronic pain: patterns and predictors of emotional distress in adolescents with chronic pain and their parents. Pain 108(3):221–229

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gil KM, Wilson JJ, Edens JL (1997) The stability of pain coping strategies in young children, adolescents, and adults with sickle cell disease over an 18-month period. Clin J Pain 13(2):110–115

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goubert L, Eccleston C, Vervoort T, Jordan A, Crombez G (2006) Parental catastrophizing about their child’s pain. The parent version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS-C): a preliminary validation. Pain 123(3):254–263

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hechler T, Dobe M, Kosfelder J, Damschen U, Hübner B, Blankenburg M, Sauer C, Zernikow B (2009) Effectiveness of a three-week multimodal inpatient pain treatment for adolescents suffering from chronic pain: statistical and clinical significance. Clin J Pain 25(2):156–166

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hechler T, Blankenburg M, Dobe M, Kosfelder J, Hübner B, Zernikow B (2010a) Effectiveness of a multimodal inpatient treatment for pediatric chronic pain: a comparison between children and adolescents. Eur J Pain 14(1):97.e1–97.e9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hechler T, Kosfelder J, Vocks S, Mönninger T, Blankenburg M, Dobe M, Gerlach AL, Denecke H, Zernikow B (2010b) Changes in pain-related coping strategies and their importance for treatment outcome following multimodal inpatient treatment: does sex matter? J Pain 11(5):472–483

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hicks CL, von Baeyer CL, Spafford PA, van Korlaar I, Goodenough B (2001) The faces pain scale-revised: toward a common metric in pediatric pain measurement. Pain 93(2):173–183

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hübner B, Hechler T, Dobe M, Damschen U, Kosfelder J, Denecke H, Schroeder S, Zernikow B (2009) Pain-related disability in adolescents suffering from chronic pain: preliminary examination of the pediatric Pain Disability Index (P-PDI). Schmerz 23(1):20–32

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs M (1981) Rating scales to assess depression in school-aged children. Acta Paedopsychiatr 46(5–6):305–315

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kröner-Herwig B, Plump U, Pothmann R (1992) Progressive relaxation and EMG biofeedback in the treatment of chronic headache in children. Results of an explorative study. Schmerz 6(2):121–127

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lethem J, Slade PD, Troup JDG, Bentley G (1983) Outline of a Fear-Avoidance Model of exaggerated pain perception–I. Behav Res Ther 21(4):401–408

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martin AL, McGrath P, Brown SC, Katz J (2007) Anxiety and sensitivity, fear of pain and pain-related disability in children and adolescents with chronic pain. Pain Res Manag 12(4):267–272

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McGoldrick M, Gerson R, Petry S (2008) Genograms: assessment and intervention. W.W. Norton & Company, New York\London

    Google Scholar 

  • Miro J, Huguet A, Nieto R (2007) Predictive factors of chronic pediatric pain and disability: a Delphi Poll. J Pain 8(10):774–792

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nilges P, Köster B, Schmidt CO (2007) Pain acceptability – concept and verification of the German version of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire. Schmerz 21(1):57–67

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Phillip D, Lyngberg A, Jensen R (2007) Assessment of headache diagnosis. A comparative population study of a clinical interview with a diagnostic headache diary. Cephalalgia 27(1):1–8

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ravens-Sieberer U (2006) The KIDSCREEN questionnaires – quality of life questionnaires for children and adolescents – handbook. Pabst Science Publisher, Lengerich

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid GJ, Gilbert CA, McGrath PA (1998) The Pain Coping Questionnaire: preliminary validation. Pain 76(1–2):83–96

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds CR, Richmond BO (2008) Revised children’s manifest anxiety scale-second edition manual. Western Psychological Services, Torrance

    Google Scholar 

  • Savedra MC, Holzemer WL, Tesler MD, Wilkie DJ (1993) Assessment of postoperation pain in children and adolescents using the adolescent pediatric pain tool. Nurs Res 42(1):5–9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schroeder S, Hechler T, Denecke H, Müller-Busch M, Martin A, Menke A, Zernikow B (2010) German Pain Questionnaire for Children, Adolescents and Parents (DSF-KJ) – a multimodal questionnaire for diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents suffering from chronic pain. Schmerz 24(1):23–37

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman WK, Fleisig W, Rabian B, Peterson RA (1991) Childhood anxiety sensitivity index. J Clin Child Psychol 20(2):162–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons LE, Sieberg CB, Carpino E, Logan D, Berde C (2011a) The Fear of Pain Questionnaire (FOPQ): assessment of pain-related fear among children and adolescents with chronic pain. J Pain 12(6):677–686

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simons LE, Sieberg CB, Kaczynski KJ (2011b) Measuring parent beliefs about child acceptance of pain: a preliminary validation of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, parent report. Pain 152(10):2294–2300

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Slyke DA, Walker LS (2006) Mothers’ responses to children’s pain. Clin J Pain 22(4):387–391

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Varni JW, Bernstein BH (1991) Evaluation and management of pain in children with rheumatic disease. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 17(4):985–1000

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Varni JW, Thompson KL, Hanson V (1987) The Varni/Thompson Pediatric Pain Questionnaire: I. Chronic musculoskeletal pain in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Pain 28(1):27–38

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Varni JW, Waldron SA, Gragg RA, Rapoff MA, Bernstein BH, Lindsley CB, Newcomb MD (1996) Development of the Waldron/Varni pediatric pain coping inventory. Pain 67(1):141–150

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • von Baeyer CL, Spagrud LJ, McCormick JC, Choo E, Neville K, Connelly MA (2009) Three new datasets supporting use of the numerical rating scale (NRS-11) for children’s self-reports of pain intensity. Pain 143(3):223–227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wager J, Tietze AL, Denecke H, Schroeder S, Vocks S, Kosfelder J, Zernikow B, Hechler T (2010) Pain perception of adolescents with chronic functional pain: adaptation and psychometric validation of the Pain Perception Scale (SES) by Geissner. Schmerz 24(3):236–250

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walker LS, Garber SJ, Van Slyke DA (1997) Development and validation of the Pain Response Inventory for children. Psychol Asses 9(4):392–405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker LS, Smith CA, Garber J, Claar RL (2005) Testing a model of pain appraisal and coping in children with chronic abdominal pain. Health Psychol 24(4):364–374

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walker LS, Williams SE, Smith CA, Garber J, Van Slyke DA, Lipani TA (2006) Parent attention versus distraction: impact on symptom complaints by children with and without chronic functional abdominal pain. Pain 122(1–2):43–52

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Paediatric Pain Centre (GPPC), Children’s and Adolescents’ Hospital, Witten/Herdecke University, Dr.-Friedrich-Steiner Street 5, Datteln, 45711, Germany

    Julia Wager, Holger Kriszio, Michael Dobe, Tanja Hechler & Boris Zernikow

  2. Chair Children’s Pain Therapy and Paediatric Palliative Care, Witten/Herdecke University, School of Medicine, Datteln, 45711, Germany

    Boris Zernikow

Authors
  1. Julia Wager
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Holger Kriszio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Dobe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tanja Hechler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Boris Zernikow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael Dobe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Children’s and Adolescents’ Hospital, German Paediatric Pain Centre, Dr.-Friedrich-Steiner-Str. 5, Datteln, 45711, Germany

    Michael Dobe

  2. , Children’s and Adolescents’ Hospital, German Paediatric Pain Centre, Dr.-Friedrich-Steiner-Str. 5, Datteln, 45711, Germany

    Boris Zernikow

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wager, J., Kriszio, H., Dobe, M., Hechler, T., Zernikow, B. (2013). Diagnostics of Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents. In: Dobe, M., Zernikow, B. (eds) Practical Treatment Options for Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37816-4_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37816-4_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-37815-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-37816-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation