Abstract
Effective parent functioning is a key predictor of functional outcomes for children with persistent pain. It is therefore important to identify factors that support or limit functioning in parents of these children. Child and parent attachment and child sensory processing patterns have been identified as risk-factors for parent functioning in healthy samples. Our study extends current research by examining whether parent and child attachment patterns and child sensory processing patterns are related to parent functioning in families of children with persistent pain. Using a cross-sectional design, data was collected at a tertiary pain management clinic from 98 parent-child dyads (i.e., a child or adolescent with persistent pain and one parent). Standardized questionnaires were used to assess parent and child attachment patterns, child sensory processing patterns, child pain intensity, and eight domains of parent functioning. Regression analyses revealed that parent attachment avoidance was significantly related to poorer overall parent functioning and three functioning domains: depression, partner relationship, and leisure. Child attachment avoidance was related to higher parental strain and the use of fewer protective parenting behaviors. Parent and child attachment anxiety and child sensory processing patterns were not significantly related to parent functioning. Findings suggest that parent and child attachment avoidance warrant further consideration with regards to parent functioning in clinical settings where children present with persistent pain. This may aid in identifying parents who are at-risk of poorer functioning and could guide the use of attachment-informed interventions for families of children with persistent pain.
Highlights
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Parent attachment avoidance was related to poorer overall parent functioning, higher levels of depression, poorer leisure functioning, and poorer partner relationship in parents of children with persistent pain.
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Parents of avoidantly attached children reported higher levels of parental strain and used fewer protective parenting behaviors (e.g., they were less likely to encourage the child to avoid painful activities).
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Child sensory processing patterns were not directly related to parent functioning in families of children with persistent pain.
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Parents’ attachment patterns warrant consideration when evaluating or supporting parent functioning in families of children with persistent pain.
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Clinicians should consider using attachment-informed clinical reasoning when evaluating the use of parenting behaviors, particularly for children with avoidant attachment patterns.
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This research was partially funded by a Research Training Program scholarship from The University of Queensland.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by L.K., C.S., P.M., P.H., and J.S. The first draft of the manuscript was written by L.K. and all authors commented on versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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At the beginning of data collection, written informed consent was obtained from parents and adolescents (13–18 years) and parents provided written consent for their children and adolescents.
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Ethics approval was obtained from the ethics committee of The Royal Children’s Hospital (HREC35119) and ratified by The University of Queensland. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.
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Kerley, L., Meredith, P.J., Harnett, P. et al. Families of Children in Pain: Are Attachment and Sensory Processing Patterns Related to Parent Functioning?. J Child Fam Stud 30, 1554–1566 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01966-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01966-8