Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30015710›Full record

SynthesisPain2018

Catastrophizing, pain, and functional outcomes for children with chronic pain: a meta-analytic review.

Megan M Miller, Samantha M Meints, Adam T Hirsh

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Pain, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Efficacy of psychological interventions on sleep in children and adolescents with chronic pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Megan M MillerDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
Samantha M MeintsDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain Management Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States.
Adam T HirshDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, United States.

Funding

Training in Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal Clinical ResearchT32AR055885 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI KATZ, JEFFREY NEIL, LOSINA, ELENA · 2008 to 2023
$4.0M
NIAMS NIH HHS T32 AR055885
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pediatric chronic pain is associated with numerous negative outcomes including increased physical disability, increased rates of depression and anxiety, and decreased quality of life (QOL). Pain catastrophizing-broadly conceptualized as including rumination, magnification, and helplessness cognitions surrounding one's pain-has been linked with poor functional outcomes in children with chronic pain. Pain catastrophizing in pediatric chronic pain is often considered a key factor on which to focus treatment efforts. However, absent a systematic review that integrates the relevant literature, this call for routine assessment and targeted treatment may be premature. This study aimed to: (1) meta-analytically quantify the relationship between catastrophizing and pain and functional/psychosocial outcomes (functional disability/physical functioning, anxiety, depression, and QOL) in children with chronic pain, and (2) examine potential moderators of these relationships. Using a random-effects model, a total of 111 effect sizes from 38 studies were analyzed. Effect sizes ranged from medium to large, with anxiety, depression, and QOL demonstrating a strong association with catastrophizing. Pain intensity and physical disability had a moderate association with catastrophizing. These relationships were robust, minimizing potential publication bias. None of the examined moderators were significant. The strong relationships found between catastrophizing and anxiety, depression, and QOL suggest that successfully intervening on catastrophizing could have far reaching implications in improving pain outcomes in pediatric chronic pain.

Indexed as

CatastrophizationChildChronic PainDatabases, BibliographicHumansMood DisordersQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID30015710
PMCPMC6237640

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.