Emerson ND, Bursch B, et al.
Children (Basel, Switzerland). Date of publication 2020 Oct 15;volume 7(10):.
1. Children (Basel). 2020 Oct 15;7(10):184. doi: 10.3390/children7100184.
Communicating with Youth about Pain: Developmental Considerations.
Emerson ND(1), Bursch B(1).
Author information:
(1)UCLA Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, 760 Westwood
Plaza, UCLA Semel 48-241, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1759, USA.
BACKGROUND: Pain experiences can negatively impact children and adolescents,
leading to trauma symptoms and nonadherence to important health behaviors.
Developmentally-tailored communication strategies may mitigate this risk.
METHODS: This article reviews cognitive and linguistic developmental factors,
within the familial and cultural context, that are important to consider when
communicating with youth about acute, procedural, and/or chronic pain.
RESULTS: Youth undergoing acute or procedural pain benefit from pain education,
truthful information about the procedure, and advance preparation. The use of
analogies may be particularly helpful for patient understanding of chronic pain
development, maintenance, and treatment. Youth with developmental disabilities
may express pain differently than their normative peers, requiring adaptation of
communication strategies.
CONCLUSION: Developmentally-tailored pain communication is an important tool for
caregivers and healthcare providers that may foster adaptive functioning in
youth who experience pain.
DOI: 10.3390/children7100184
PMCID: PMC7602494
PMID: 33076255
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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