ArticleArchives of disease in childhood2005
Children with unexplained chronic pain: substantial impairment in everyday life.
Article in Archives of disease in childhood, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
76 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 234 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review of Somatic Symptoms in Children With a Chronically Ill Family Member.Psychosomatic medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Does vitamin D supplementation alleviate chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rheumatology · 2017Pooled it
- Dietary interventions for recurrent abdominal pain in childhood.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Psychosocial interventions for recurrent abdominal pain in childhood.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Chronic Pain Assessments in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review of the Selection, Administration, Interpretation, and Reporting of Unidimensional Pain Intensity Scales.Pain research & management · 2017Pooled it
- A systematic review of sleep in pediatric pain populations.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP · 2013Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pain assessment using the adolescent pediatric pain tool: a systematic review.Pain research & managementPooled it
- Social functioning and peer relationships in children and adolescents with chronic pain: A systematic review.Pain research & managementPooled it
- Pain-related fear in adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain: process evaluation of an interdisciplinary graded exposure program.BMC health services research · 2020Trial
- Study protocol for a multicentre randomized controlled trial on effectiveness of an outpatient multimodal rehabilitation program for adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain (2B Active).BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2016Trial
- Evaluation of a cognitive-behavioral pain management program for children with chronic abdominal pain: a randomized controlled study.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2013Trial
- Trial
- School Attendance Pre- and Post-Pandemic in Adolescents with Chronic Pain.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Association between somatic symptoms and depression and anxiety in adolescents: a cross-sectional school-based study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Biopsychosocial risk factors for pain in early phases of pediatric cancer treatment.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Global, regional and national burden of neck pain in children and adolescents: GBD 2021 systematic analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Infancy predictors of functional somatic symptoms in pre- and late adolescence: a longitudinal cohort study.European journal of pediatrics · 2024Article
- The Children's Somatic Symptoms Inventory-8: Psychometric Properties of a Brief Measure of Somatic Distress.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Prevalence of Somatic Symptoms and Somatoform Disorders among a German Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Sample.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsTo describe and quantify impairment in an outpatient population of children with chronic pain of unknown origin (UCP).
methodsA total of 149 children who presented with pain of at least three months' duration and without a satisfactory explanation at presentation were studied. Number of somatic complaints (Children's Somatisation Inventory, CSI), pain intensity (VAS, 0-10 cm), functional disability (Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-CF) and clinical history), and general health perceptions (CHQ) were determined.
resultsMean age of the children was 11.8 years; 73% were girls. Overall, 72% suffered impairment in sports activities, 51% reported absence from school, 40% experienced limitations in social functioning, and 34% had problems with sleeping. Mean number of somatic symptoms differed significantly between boys (8.4) and girls (10.7). The CHQ-CF scores for physical functioning, role/social functioning, and general health perceptions were 76.4, 70.7, and 57.5, respectively, indicating substantial impairment on all domains. The mean pain intensity was 4.7 for current and 7.1 for worst pain. Children solely evaluated by a general practitioner prior to referral reported less, though still substantial, impairment. Low general health perceptions, impaired role/social functioning, high pain intensity, and having headache or musculoskeletal pain were independent predictors of having significant impairment.
conclusionsReferred children with UCP show substantial impairment on multiple domains in daily life.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.