“Nevertheless, it is still painful”: Use of Over-the-Counter analgesics, pain, stress, and HRQOL in Norwegian adolescents: a cross sectional study.

Abstract

Background Approximately 20% of Norwegian adolescents are frequently using over-the-counter analgesics (OTCA). The WHO emphasizes the need for research to identify the key determinants of health problems in adolescence. Thus, our purpose is to study and describe pain, stress, and health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) in Norwegian adolescents and investigate possible associations between these two variables upon high/low usage of OTCA. Methods This cross-sectional study included 315 adolescents (92 boys, 223 girls) with an average age of 14.1 years (13–15 years). All participants reported using OTCA. Weekly usage was categorized as high and less than weekly as low. Using a validated questionnaire, we explored the following variables: pain, as measured using the Brief Pain Inventory, stress (Perceived Stress Questionnaire) and HRQOL (KIDSSCREEN-27). Binary logistic regression models were conducted using SPSS software. Results Our descriptive findings revealed that high users of OTCA reported higher pain intensity of 3.4 (SD = 1.9) and perceived stress of 0.38 (SD = 0.18) than low users (2.5 (SD = 1.9) and 0.32 (SD = 0.16) respectively. OTCA high users reported lower average scores than low users across all HRQOL subscales. Binary logistic regression revealed 30% higher odds for higher levels of pain intensity (95% CI [1.11 to 1.51]) and 14 times higher odds of perceived stress (95% CI [1.03 to 204.) associated with being a high user of OTCA compared to a low user. Conclusions This study shows significant higher odds for experiencing pain and stress among adolescents using OTCA daily-to-weekly, compared to those seldom using such medicines. Health professionals should be aware of young people who have a high consumption of OTCA and investigate whether the use is related to pain or stress. This might be important in designing a personalized and appropriate intervention. Parents and caregivers have an important responsibility in supporting adolescents appropriate pain management. More observational and longitudinal studies are needed to understand predicative factors for adolescents OTCA usage.