Prevalence of chronic pain and contributing factors: a cross-sectional population-based study among 2,379 Iranian adolescents

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic pain and its contributing factors among teenagers aged 12-21 years in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on adolescents aged 12-21 years. Demographic variables of the adolescents and their parents as well as the pain characteristics were assessed. Descriptive statistics, multinomial logistic regression, and regression models were used to describe the characteristics of the pain and its predictive factors. Results: The prevalence of chronic pain was 23.7%. The results revealed no significant difference between the male and female participants regarding the pain characteristics, except for the home medications used for pain relief. The results of a chi-square test showed that the mother's pain, education, and occupation, and the father's education were associated significantly with chronic pain in adolescents (P < 0.05). Multinomial logistic regression also showed the mother's history of pain played a significant role in the incidence of adolescents' chronic pain. Conclusions: The prevalence of chronic pain was relatively high in these adolescents. The results also provided basic and essential information about the contributing factors in this area. However, consideration of factors such as anxiety, depression, school problems, sleep, and physical activity are suggested in future longitudinal studies.

The predicting factors of chronic pain among nursing students: a national study in Iran

“…However, Boggero et al (2015) reported a smaller prevalence of pain among the elderly [ 66 ]. In a study in Iran, the number of the adolescents who experienced pain was higher in the 12–15 age group compared to the 16–21 age group [ 67 ]. The discrepancy between the findings of the above-mentioned studies can be attributed to the studies’ use of different pain scales.…”

The prevalence of chronic pain in adolescents in Central Switzerland: A cross- sectional school-based study protocol

“…The IASP defines chronic pain as "pain that persists or recurs for longer than 3 months" [37]. For the purpose of this study, we operationally defined the presence of chronic pain as the self-reported experience of recurrent or persistent pain for three or more months and a frequency of at least weekly [38][39][40][41][42]. This definition was chosen because it is the most commonly used and can therefore be compared with other studies from the field [9,12].…”

“…Average scores of 3, 6, and 8 on the NRS-11 correspond to mild, moderate, and severe pain levels, respectively [46]. The NRS-11 has been used in a number of pain-related pediatric epidemiological studies [40][41][42].…”

Using exploratory graph analysis (EGA) in validating the structure of the Perth alexithymia questionnaire in Iranians with chronic pain

“…CP is experienced by 46% of individuals in Sweden ( Jakobsson, 2010 ), 20.5% of people in the USA ( Yong et al, 2022 ), 34.9% of people in Hong Kong ( Wong and Fielding, 2011 ), 18.9% of people in Canada ( Schopflocher et al, 2011 ), 35% to 51% of people in the UK ( Fayaz et al, 2016 ), 23% to 76% of people in Brazil ( Aguiar et al, 2021 ), 39.3% of people in Japan ( Inoue et al, 2015 ) and 46.4% of people in Saudi Arabia ( Almalki et al, 2019 ). Additionally, studies conducted in Iran reported a prevalence of 23.7% for CP ( Shaygan et al, 2023 ).…”