What mechanisms do children and adolescents with chronic pain use to manage their friendships? A review of the literature

Abstract

This study review the available literature about friendships of children and adolescents with chronic pain, focusing on the mechanisms they use to face challenges in their relationships and the theories studies use to address this topic. We conducted a search in PubMed, PsycINFO, and WOS from inception to August 2017. We included peer-reviewed primary studies with a specific subgroup analysis of friendships in children and adolescents (6-18 years old) with the following conditions: lower limb pain, neck and shoulder pain, back pain, abdominal pain, headache and migraines, fibromyalgia, and complex regional pain syndrome. Twenty empirical articles were selected. From these studies, 18 mechanisms and 6 theories were identified. Studies show a high variability in the methodologies employed, as well as in the way they define friendships experience. Finally, very few of the studies selected are theory-based.