The relationship between pains and various discomforts in schoolchildren

This study differentiates multiple and specific pain experiences (headache, stomach pain and back pain) in a sample of 2173 Icelandic 11- to 12- and 15- to 16-year-old schoolchildren, and explores their relationship with other discomforts typically viewed as distress symptoms. In particular, the study explores the relationship between pain combinations and specific as well as general discomforts. The study finds that subjects experiencing any frequency or number of pains have significantly more discomforts than painfree subjects. Furthermore, having two or more types of pain is associated with more discomfort than having individual pains at all pain frequency levels. Among subjects experiencing recurrent pain, the most frequent discomforts include anger, anxiety, sadness and sleeping difficulties. However, the discomforts most sensitive to recurrent pain include fatigue, dizziness, tension/restlessness, concentration problems and sadness. The results are troublesome in view of the generally high prevalence of pain experiences in schoolchildren.