Pain, mental health and healthcare utilization: Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on youth with chronic pain, parents and siblings

Abstract

BackgroundPaediatric chronic pain was a public health emergency before the novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic, and this problem is predicted to escalate. Pain tends to occur intergenerationally in families, and youth with chronic pain and their parents have high rates of mental health issues, which can further exacerbate pain. Siblings of youth with chronic pain have been largely overlooked in research, as well as the impact of the pandemic on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and healthcare utilization.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study examined pain, mental health and healthcare utilization in three groups: youth with chronic pain (n = 357), parents of youth with chronic pain (n = 233) and siblings of youth with chronic pain (n = 156) during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Canada.ResultsMore so than with pain symptoms, the results revealed high levels of mental health symptoms (i.e. anxiety, depressive, and PTSD), particularly in individuals more personally impacted by the pandemic. The largest effect was seen on PTSD symptoms for all groups. For parents with chronic pain, greater personal COVID‐19 impact was related to worse pain interference. Reported rates of healthcare utilization were strikingly high, with youth with chronic pain, parents (reporting on behalf of their children with chronic pain), and siblings of youth with chronic pain reporting that most consultations were due to pain.ConclusionsLongitudinal research assessing these outcomes across continued waves of the pandemic is needed to ensure timely, tailored and equitable access to pain and mental health assessment and treatment.SignificanceThis study examined pain, mental health, substance use and healthcare utilization in youth with chronic pain, siblings and parents during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Greater personal impact of the pandemic was not largely associated with poorer pain outcomes; however, it was associated with mental health, with the largest effect on PTSD symptoms. The high rates and significant association of COVID‐19 impact with PTSD symptoms underscore the importance of including PTSD assessment as part of routine screening practices in pain clinics.

Patient-Reported Wait Times and the Impact of Living with Chronic Pain on their Quality of Life: A Waiting Room Survey in Chronic Pain Clinics in Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec

“…These processes were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused disruptions to services and clinics across the country and may have contributed to the observed wait times, the quality of life of patients with chronic pain, and the observed reliance on other health care providers. 46 , 47 The participating clinics were publicly funded (except for the Montreal pediatric site, which is funded through private donors, such as the Louise and Alan Edwards Foundation); hence, our findings may not be transferrable to other contexts (e.g., private, third-party funded). Our study sample included more females than males, and this difference was especially pronounced within the pediatric sample.…”