Impaired Health-Related Quality of Life in Children With Recurrent Pain

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the current study was to investigate self-reported, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a general population of young schoolchildren with recurrent pain (ie, headache, stomachache, or backache). METHODS: The study was performed in Umea, a university city in Sweden. All children in grades 3 and 6 were invited, and 97% participated ( 313 girls and 292 boys in grade 3 [ mean age: 9.7 years]; 386 girls and 464 boys in grade 6 [ mean age: 12.6 years]). Pain and HRQoL were measured with questionnaires. RESULTS: Two thirds of the children reported recurrent pain ( at least monthly). One third reported weekly pain, and 4 of 10 experienced pain from multiple locations. HRQoL impairment was twice as common among children with recurrent pain, compared with children without pain. All aspects of HRQoL ( ie, physical, emotional, social, and school functioning and well-being) were impaired. The level of impairment was classified as considerable, especially for children who experienced pain from multiple body sites and children with weekly pain (Cohen's d = 0.6-0.8). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that young schoolchildren with recurrent pain have considerable impairment of their HRQoL. Pediatrics 2009; 124: e759-e767