Bieniak, K. H., Fenelon, E., Ricart, B., Paredes Cienega, P., & Tran, S. T. (2024, April). Emerging adulthood pain and mental health experiences. [Poster presentation]. Society for Pediatric Psychology Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Abstract
Introduction: Approximately 12% of emerging adults (EA) experience chronic pain, which impacts psychosocial functioning and functional abilities. Experiencing anxiety and depression symptoms also worsens pain outcomes. Consequently, mental health symptoms must be addressed to limit additional physical and psychosocial disability in chronic pain patients. However, it is unclear how frequently mental health disorders arise in this population. Thus, this study investigates the frequency of mental health diagnoses in a non-clinical sample of EAs with chronic, acute, and no pain.
Methods: Participants (N = 419; mage = 19.44, SD age = 1.51), enrolled at a Midwestern United States university completed an online survey about their health. Participants were predominantly assigned female sex at birth (n=332, 79.2%) and identified their gender as woman (n = 309, 73.7%). Responses to questions regarding pain, mental health, and demographics are assessed. Chi-square test of independence analyzed if the likelihood of reporting a current mental health condition varied based on pain status.
Results: Participants reported pain as chronic (34.8%), acute (21.2%), or of unspecified duration (21.2%). About one-quarter of participants reported no pain (22.7%). Current or past mental health condition was reported by 40.6% of participants. Chi-square results suggest an association between pain status and mental health (X2 (3, N = 414) = 16.91, p = 0.001). Current or past mental health concerns were reported most by those with chronic pain (52.05%) and half as frequently in those without pain (25.56%).
Conclusions: Chronic pain was prevalent among our sample. Those with chronic pain disclosed mental health concerns twice as frequently as those without pain. Clinically, practitioners should regularly assess mental health in EAs with chronic pain and encourage engagement with psychological support. Research should improve and expand evidence-based interventions for psychosocial wellbeing in EA chronic pain in order to promote patient quality of life.
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