TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of self-reported chronic pain among adolescents
T2 - Evidence from 42 countries and regions
AU - Gobina, Inese
AU - Villberg, Jari
AU - Välimaa, Raili
AU - Tynjälä, Jorma
AU - Whitehead, Ross
AU - Cosma, Alina
AU - Brooks, Fiona
AU - Cavallo, Franco
AU - Ng, Kwok
AU - de Matos, Margarida Gaspar
AU - Villerusa, Anita
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the input of Positive Health focus groups within the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study network. The International Coordinator of the 2013/2014 survey was Jo Inchley (University of St Andrews) and the Data Bank Manager was prof. Oddrun Samdal (University of Bergen). The 2013/2014 survey was conducted by Principal Investigators in 42 countries: Albania (G. Qirjako), Armenia (S. Sargsyan), Austria (R. Felder-Puig), Belgium (Flemish) (C. Vareecken and A. Hublet), Belgium (French) (D. Piette), Bulgaria (L. Vasileva), Canada (J. Freeman and W. Pickett), Croatia (M. Kuzman and I. P. Simetin), Czech Republic (M. Kalman), Denmark (P. Due and M. Rasmussen), Estonia (K. Aasvee), Finland (J. Tynj?l?), France (E. Godeau), Germany (P. Kolip and M. Richter), Greece (A. Kokkevi), Greenland (B. Niclasen), Hugary (?. N?meth), Iceland (A. Arnarsson), Ireland (S. Nic Gabhainn), Israel (Y. Harel-Fisch), Italy (F. Cavallo), Latvia (I. Pudule), Lithuania (A. Zaborskis), Luxembourg (Y. Wagener), Malta (C. Gauci), Netherlands (W. Vollebergh and T. ter Bogt), Norway (O. Samdal), Poland (J. Mazur), Portugal (M. Gaspar de Matos), Republic of Moldova (G. Lesco), Romania (A. Baban), Russian Federation (O. Churganov), Slovakia (A. Madarasova Geckova), Slovenia (H. Jericek), Spain (C. Moreno Rodriguez), Sweden (L. Augustine and P. Lofstead), Switzerland (E. Kuntsche), TFYR Macedonia (L. Kostarova Unkovska), Ukraine (O. Balakireva), United Kingdom (England) (A. Morgan and F. Brooks), United Kingdom (Scotland) (C. Currie and J. Inchley), United Kingdom (Wales) (C. Roberts). For details, see http://www.hbsc.org.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 European Pain Federation - EFIC
PY - 2019/2/1
Y1 - 2019/2/1
N2 - Background: Reports of the overall chronic pain prevalence and its associated demographic characteristics among adolescents vary greatly across existing studies. Using internationally comparable data, this study investigates age, sex and country-level effects in the prevalence of chronic single-site and multi-site pain among adolescents during the last six months preceding the survey. Methods: Data (n = 214,283) from the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study were used including nationally representative samples of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds from general schools in 42 participating countries. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used. Results: The overall proportion of adolescents reporting chronic weekly pain during the last six months was high (44.2%). On average, in comparison with different specific localized types of single-site pain, the prevalence of multi-site pain was more common varying from 13.2% in Armenia to 33.8% in Israel. Adolescent age and sex were strong predictors for reporting pain, but significantly different demographic patterns were found in the cross-country analyses. The most consistent findings indicate that multi-site pain was more prevalent among girls across all countries and that the prevalence increased with age. Conclusions: Internationally comparable data suggest that self-reported chronic pain among adolescents is highly prevalent, but different age and sex patterns across countries exist. Adolescents with chronic pain are not a homogenous group. Chronic pain co-occurrence and differences in chronic pain characteristics should be addressed in both clinical and public health practice for effective adolescent chronic pain management and prevention. Significance: Chronic pain co-occurrence is common during adolescence across countries, the prevalence being among girls and in older age groups. Significant cross-country variations in the chronic pain prevalence and chronic pain patterns among adolescents exist. Significant country differences emerge for specific chronic pain patterns in association with adolescent demographics.
AB - Background: Reports of the overall chronic pain prevalence and its associated demographic characteristics among adolescents vary greatly across existing studies. Using internationally comparable data, this study investigates age, sex and country-level effects in the prevalence of chronic single-site and multi-site pain among adolescents during the last six months preceding the survey. Methods: Data (n = 214,283) from the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study were used including nationally representative samples of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds from general schools in 42 participating countries. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used. Results: The overall proportion of adolescents reporting chronic weekly pain during the last six months was high (44.2%). On average, in comparison with different specific localized types of single-site pain, the prevalence of multi-site pain was more common varying from 13.2% in Armenia to 33.8% in Israel. Adolescent age and sex were strong predictors for reporting pain, but significantly different demographic patterns were found in the cross-country analyses. The most consistent findings indicate that multi-site pain was more prevalent among girls across all countries and that the prevalence increased with age. Conclusions: Internationally comparable data suggest that self-reported chronic pain among adolescents is highly prevalent, but different age and sex patterns across countries exist. Adolescents with chronic pain are not a homogenous group. Chronic pain co-occurrence and differences in chronic pain characteristics should be addressed in both clinical and public health practice for effective adolescent chronic pain management and prevention. Significance: Chronic pain co-occurrence is common during adolescence across countries, the prevalence being among girls and in older age groups. Significant cross-country variations in the chronic pain prevalence and chronic pain patterns among adolescents exist. Significant country differences emerge for specific chronic pain patterns in association with adolescent demographics.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85052973420&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ejp.1306
DO - 10.1002/ejp.1306
M3 - Article
C2 - 30098106
AN - SCOPUS:85052973420
SN - 1090-3801
VL - 23
SP - 316
EP - 326
JO - European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom)
JF - European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom)
IS - 2
ER -
