The influence of ‘pain catastrophizing’ and ‘pain-related anxiety’ on posttraumatic stress symptoms among children who have been hospitalized for burns

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether pain catastrophizing and pain-related anxiety are risk factors for posttraumatic stress symptoms in children who have been hospitalized for burns (N=100). The relationship between pain catastrophizing, pain-related anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms in the first month (T1) and at 3 months (T2) postburn was examined. We have also examined the influence of these two variables on the course of the posttraumatic stress symptoms. Posttraumatic stress symptoms were measured with the Children’s Responses to Trauma Inventory at 1 and 3 months postburn. Pain catastrophizing and pain-related anxiety were measured with respectively the Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Children and the Burn Specific Pain Anxiety Scale – Children within 1 month postburn. Results demonstrated that 8% of the children had scores that were indicative for posttraumatic stress symptoms within one month postburn and 3% at 3 months postburn. Pain-related anxiety had no significant direct effect on the posttraumatic stress symptoms at T1 and T2, but pain catastrophizing had. So, the more a child catastrophizes about pain, the higher the posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results from model testing showed an indirect effect of pain-related anxiety on posttraumatic stress symptoms via pain catastrophizing.