Not seeing eye-to-eye: differential reporting of chronic pain by children and their parents (PRIME C)

Abstract

Background: The Prime C study investigated the prevalence, impact and cost of chronic pain among 5 – 12 year olds in Ireland, using child self-report and parental report. Data suggests parents may underestimate and under-report extent and impact of chronic pain for their children. Methods: A quantitative survey was used to assess location, quality and intensity of pain. Findings: Data collected from 3113 children (54.23% female). Among parents, 4% (n=64) reported that one or more of their children had chronic pain compared to 10% of children’s self-reported pain. Only 23% of children who self-reported chronic pain had a confirmatory parental report. Similarly, when parents stated that their child had chronic pain this was not reported by the child themselves in 20% of cases. Majority of these children were reported (by teachers and parents) as living with chronic, painful conditions, yet the children did not report any associated chronic pain. Discussion: There are significant inconsistencies between children’s self-report and parental reports of pain, indicating a need to further understand this mismatch of views.