Systematic Review of Dispositional Mindfulness and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology: A Targeted Examination of Avoidance.

High rates of nonresponse to evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have fueled the search for improved intervention. Evidence suggests that improvements in dispositional mindfulness (i.e.

Advancing the Assessment and Treatment of Comorbid Pediatric Chronic Functional Abdominal Pain (CFAP) and Restrictive Eating Disorders.

The aim of this review is to heighten awareness of the association between chronic functional abdominal pain (CFAP) and restrictive eating disorders (ED) in adolescents. We describe current diagnostic practices and propose future research efforts to improve the assessment and treatment of comorbid CFAP and restrictive EDs. A narrative review of the literature on CFAP and EDs was performed using , , , and and the following search terms: 'restrictive eating disorders', 'chronic functional abdominal pain', 'chronic pain' 'treatment' 'diagnosis' and 'adolescents'.

Stress Numerical Rating Scale-11: Validation in Pediatric Inpatient and Outpatient Pain Settings.

Stress is a commonly reported issue in pediatric populations of chronic and acute pain. Both outpatient and inpatient settings impose time constraints, which decreases opportunities to measure and address patient stress. The aim of these studies was to evaluate the validity of the Stress Numeric Rating Scale-11 (SNRS-11) in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Test anxiety and reading comprehension: the key role of fluid reasoning.

Background: High test anxiety has been associated with poorer academic performance. Test anxiety may affect academic performance by disrupting cognitive processes required for complex academic tasks, such as reading comprehension.

Objectives And Method: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to clarify the cognitive pathways through which test anxiety may affect reading comprehension performance using archival clinical data of adults (= 94;  = 23.

Establishing the Content Validity of a Modified Bank of School Anxiety Inventory Items for Use Among Adolescents With Chronic Pain.

Objective: School anxiety is a prevalent mental health concern that drives school-related disability among youth with chronic pain. The only available measure of school anxiety-the School Anxiety Inventory, Short Version (SAI-SV)-lacks content specificity for measuring school anxiety in pediatric pain populations. We aimed to refine the SAI-SV by obtaining qualitative data about unique school situations that are anxiety-provoking for youth with pain and characterizing the nature of symptoms experienced in these situations.

Advancing the Measurement of Executive Functioning in Pediatric Chronic Pain.

Youth with chronic pain often report executive functioning difficulties, many of which have been linked to poor treatment adherence and health-related quality of life in adults with chronic pain, as well as in other pediatric chronic health populations. Despite the extensive implications for functional impairment, executive functioning remains understudied in pediatric chronic pain. Measurement approaches have lacked clear theoretical guidance, resulting in only some domains of executive functioning being investigated.

Advancing the Field of Pain Medicine-Special Issue on Pediatric Pain Management.

Pediatric pain management has made great strides over the past 50 years [...

Systematic Review of Autonomic Nervous System Functioning in Pediatric Chronic Pain.

Objectives: Chronic pain is a common and debilitating health problem that impacts up to one third of children and adolescents. The pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic pain are complex, but considerable research links dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and chronic pain in adults. No review of ANS functioning has been conducted in pediatric chronic pain.

Executive Functioning in Adolescents with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain.

Adolescents with chronic pain often suffer significant impairment in physical, emotional, and social domains. Surprisingly little is known about executive functioning (EF) in youth with chronic pain or how EF deficits may contribute to functional impairment. Study participants included 60 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years ( = 14.

The Co-occurrence of Pediatric Chronic Pain and Anxiety: A Theoretical Review of a Developmentally Informed Shared Vulnerability Model.

The development and maintenance of pediatric chronic pain and anxiety are complex, underscoring the need to better understand the interactive forces contributing to their co-occurrence. The shared vulnerability model (SVM) was developed to explain the co-occurrence of chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder in adults. Although many core tenets have been well supported by pediatric research, the SVM has yet to be extended to pediatric pain populations.

The role of pain catastrophizing in cyberchondria among emerging adults.

Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating health problem that often persists in the absence of an identifiable biomedical cause. Uncertainty regarding the origins of a pain problem may lead to pain catastrophizing and unfruitful healthcare seeking behaviors. Individuals with chronic pain often turn to the internet to identify possible causes or sources of their pain symptoms, thus affirming their pain experience.

Clinical Reference Points for the Screen for Child Anxiety-related Disorders in 2 Investigations of Youth With Chronic Pain.

Objective: Anxiety is common in pediatric chronic pain and is related to a higher risk for poor outcomes; thus, there is a need for effective clinical screening methods to identify youth with chronic pain and co-occurring anxiety. The Screen for Child Anxiety-related Disorders (SCARED) is a validated measure that defines clinically significant anxiety using the traditional clinical cut-off, but in pain populations, may fail to screen in youth with subclinical anxiety that may also be at increased risk. Two studies aimed to devise a clinically meaningful approach to capture anxiety severity in pediatric chronic pain.

Fluid reasoning and reading difficulties among children with ADHD.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly experience difficulties in reading and in fluid reasoning (G). According to Cattell's Investment Theory (1987), G is a causal factor in the development of crystallized knowledge (G) and academic skills; therefore, the co-occurrence of reading and G difficulties within ADHD may not be coincidental. In the present study with children with both ADHD and reading difficulties ( = 187; 61% male;  = 9.

Seasonal Variation in Pediatric Chronic Pain Clinic Phone Triage Call Volume.

Chronic pain is highly prevalent in youth and often results in significant health care usage and familial distress. Telephone triage nurses in pediatric pain clinics provide support and consultation to families and engage parents of pediatric pain patients in interdisciplinary intervention efforts. Despite evidence of winter predominance in rates of pain-related and psychiatric complaints, seasonal variations have not been examined in terms of the demand placed on pain clinic triage nurses.

Gender Moderates Association Between Emotional-Behavioral Problems and Text Comprehension in Children with Both Reading Difficulties and Adhd.

Evidence suggests that higher order linguistic functioning such as text comprehension is particularly vulnerable to emotional modulation. Gender has been identified as an important moderating variable in emotional expression such that girls tend toward internalizing emotions (e.g.

"What Does Weight Have to Do with It?" Parent Perceptions of Weight and Pain in a Pediatric Chronic Pain Population.

Tailored pain management strategies are urgently needed for youth with co-occurring chronic pain and obesity; however, prior to developing such strategies, we need to understand parent perspectives on weight in the context of pediatric chronic pain. Participants in this study included 233 parents of patients presenting to a multidisciplinary pediatric chronic pain clinic. Parents completed a brief survey prior to their child's initial appointment; questions addressed parents' perceptions of their child's weight, and their perceptions of multiple aspects of the relationship between their child's weight and chronic pain.

Pressure Pain Threshold and Anxiety in Adolescent Females With and Without Juvenile Fibromyalgia: A Pilot Study.

Objectives: Reduced pain thresholds have been documented in adult fibromyalgia, but there are no quantitative studies of altered pain sensitivity in adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM). The current study examined differences in pressure pain sensitivity between adolescent females with JFM and healthy controls. The relationship between levels of anxiety and pain were also examined.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on Working Memory Capacity in Adolescents.

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation intervention on working memory capacity (WMC) in adolescents via a randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness meditation to hatha yoga and a waitlist control group.

Methods: Participants (N = 198 adolescents) were recruited from a large public middle school in southwest United States and randomly assigned to mindfulness meditation, hatha yoga, or a waitlist control condition. Participants completed a computerized measure of WMC (Automated Operational Span Task) and self-report measures of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and anxiety (Screen for Childhood Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders) at preintervention and postintervention/waitlist.

Psychometric Properties of the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire: New Insights on the Measurement of Readiness to Change in Adolescents, Mothers, and Fathers.

Unlabelled: There is increasing interest in the measurement of "readiness to change," or willingness to engage in a self-management approach to pain coping, as a predictor of treatment response in pediatric pain populations. The primary aim of the present study was to provide cross-validation of the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire-Adolescent and -Parent versions in a new, independent pediatric chronic pain sample by examining aspects of reliability, validity, and generalizability of the factor structures identified in the initial validation study. Secondary aims were to 1) expand upon previously identified differences between the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire-Adolescent and -Parent versions and 2) examine previously unreported aspects of father data.

Distinct Influences of Anxiety and Pain Catastrophizing on Functional Outcomes in Children and Adolescents With Chronic Pain.

Objectives: Examine whether anxiety and pain catastrophizing are distinct constructs in relation to functional outcomes in pediatric chronic pain, and whether they differentially predict functional outcomes based on age.

Methods: In all, 725 youth (191 children, 534 adolescents) with chronic pain completed measures of pain characteristics, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, functional disability, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Structural equation modeling was used to examine interrelationships.

Predicting Multiple Facets of School Functioning in Pediatric Chronic Pain: Examining the Direct Impact of Anxiety.

Objectives: The relationships among chronic pain, anxiety, and school functioning are complex, and school functioning is often negatively impacted in youth with chronic pain. The objective of this study was to empirically test a model of associations between constructs predicting school functioning in youth with chronic pain to examine the direct effect of anxiety on school attendance and other indicators of school-related disability.

Materials And Methods: Participants included 349 youth and their parents (311 mothers and 162 fathers) who attended a multidisciplinary pain clinic.

A randomized, controlled pilot study of mindfulness-based stress reduction for pediatric chronic pain.

Context: It is estimated that 1 in 5 children in the United States is affected by chronic pain. Increasing adaptive coping strategies and decreasing stress may be important in treatment. Research has suggested that mindfulness can help alleviate symptoms associated with medical illnesses and increase quality of life.

The psychometric properties of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders in pediatric chronic pain.

Objective: Examine the psychometric properties of the SCARED in pediatric chronic pain.

Methods: Participants were parents (n = 313 mothers, 163 fathers) and youth (n = 349) presenting for treatment of pediatric chronic pain. Participants completed the SCARED and measures of pain catastrophizing, internalizing problems, and health-related quality of life.

A preliminary report of parent/nurse-controlled analgesia (PNCA) in infants and preschoolers.

Background: infants and young children are often unable to verbalize pain or advocate for themselves which may increase their risk for poor pain assessment and management. Although patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has been shown to be safe, effective, and superior to intermittent opioid dosing, infants and young children are not able to operate PCA independently. Allowing a parent or nurse to operate the PCA for the child [parent/nurse-controlled analgesia (PNCA)] may be an option for these children.

The impact of pediatric chronic pain on parents' health-related quality of life and family functioning: reliability and validity of the PedsQL 4.0 Family Impact Module.

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Family Impact Module (FIM), a parent self-report measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and family functioning, among parents of youth with chronic pain.

Methods: Parents (N = 458) completed the FIM (Total Impact, HRQOL, and Family Functioning scales); parents and youth (N = 332) completed measures of pain catastrophizing, pediatric quality of life, and emotional/behavioral functioning.

Results: The FIM demonstrated strong internal consistency and item-total correlations.