Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of internal health locus of control (IHLC) and anxiety on adolescents' response to a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent (NSAIA) for the treatment of mild to moderate pain. Fifty-four adolescents (ages 16 to 22 years) from two adolescent clinics presenting with mild to moderate pain due to dysmenorrhea, sprain or strain, headache or backache were studied. Following a physical examination and a pretest assessment of IHLC, the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and pain, subjects were randomly assigned in a double blind fashion to groups receiving placebo (n=16), 100 mg of the NSAIA (n=19) or 200 mg. of the NSAIA (n= 19). Pain was assessed on a 100 mm linear analogue scale at baseline and at 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours. Based on a three-way repeated measure analysis of covariance test, all groups decreased in pain over the four hours (p<0.0001), and females decreased (p≤0.013) more than males. Subjects receiving 200 mg. of the NSAIA had lower pain (p≤0.034) than placebo only at hour 2. By hour 4, subjects with higher IHLC scores had lower pain (r=-27, p≤0.023). However, this relationship was dependent on the dose of NSAIA 100 mg (r=-60, p≤0.003), 200 mg (r=-0.36, p≤0.062). Although anxiety was not associated with the level of pain at baseline, the greater the adolescents' pain at hour 4, the more anxiety they expressed on their post-treatment STAI (r=-.34, p≤0.005).
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Durant, R., Jay, S., Jerath, R. et al. THE INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS ON ADOLESCENT'S RESPONSE TO ANALGESICS FOR PAIN. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 174 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00045