How do young people and their families deal with persistent pain? (V1)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  How do young people and their families deal with persistent pain? The role of psychological flexibility in living with chronic pain. (V1)

• IRAS ID

  331169

• Contact name

  Kyle A Murray-Dickson

• Contact email

  kyle.murray-dickson@nhs.scot

• Sponsor organisation

  College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences University of Edinburgh

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 5 months, 9 days

• Research summary

  There are different ways in which healthcare professionals support young people living with Chronic Pain, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), medication and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Some research has shown that Psychological Flexibility, a key concept of ACT, can help individuals continue to engage in these meaningful activities (such as work, seeing friends) despite the experience of ongoing pain. Psychological Flexibility is the ability to persist and adapt in the face of difficulty. This psychological flexibility has the potential to make individuals more resilient – meaning they can bounce back from challenges

  Studies have shown that there are often associations between how parents support their child to manage pain, and how that child experiences or deals with pain themselves.

  This study will investigate a number variables which might influence “resilience” in young people with chronic pain. Resilience will be measured by asking questions about how often they make it to school, how often they see their friends and how often they believe that their illness impacts their day-to-day life.

  The study will look at young people aged between 10 and 24 and gather data about various aspects which might influence resilience:

  • Psychological Flexibility
  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Illness Beliefs

  This research will look at both the reported measures of the young person and the reported measures of a parent or carer. When enough responses have been gathered, these results will be analysed to look at associations between each of those three measures and resilience. Furthermore, the effect the parents’ beliefs and attitudes have on the management of pain will be analysed.

• REC name

  North West - Greater Manchester Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/NW/0388

• Date of REC Opinion

  24 Jan 2024

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion