ArticleFrontiers in psychology2021
"If It Ever Really Hurts, I Try Not to Let Them Know:" The Use of Concealment as a Coping Strategy Among Adolescents With Chronic Pain.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 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
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of the social functioning of youth with JIA: Barriers, stigma, and resources.Journal of pediatric psychology · 2026Pooled it
- The help-seeking experiences of adolescents and youth with endometriosis: a systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMC women's health · 2026Pooled it
- Lived Experiences of Tooth Hypersensitivity in Children With Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation.International journal of paediatric dentistry · 2026Article
- Group-Based Psychological Interventions for Autistic Youth with Chronic Pain: Narrative Review and Practice Considerations for Intensive Interdisciplinary Pediatric Pain Treatment.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings · 2026Review
- Article
- The development and validation of the pain-related stigma scale for adolescents (PReSS-A) with chronic pain.The journal of pain · 2025Article
- "I'm in pain, and I'm not faking it": A qualitative exploration of the reactions of youth with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and their caregivers to pain-related stigma.Arthritis research & therapy · 2025Article
- Improving Pain Outcomes for Children and Adolescents at School via a Socio-Ecological Public Health Lens: A Strengths-Focused Interview Study With Teachers.Paediatric & neonatal pain · 2025Article
- "Hurt and Misunderstood": Emotional reactions to pain dismissal in emerging adults with chronic pain.Health care transitions · 2025Article
- A Pilot Study on the Freelisting Method Among Adolescents with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Feasibility, Acceptability and Study Findings.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Experiences of Living With the Nonmotor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease: A Photovoice Study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Unveiling the burden of COPD: perspectives on a patient-reported outcome measure to support communication in outpatient consultations-an interview study among patients.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2024Article
- Pain-Related Stigma and Its Associations With Clinical and Experimental Pain Severity in Youth With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions.Journal of pediatric psychology · 2023Article
- A qualitative evaluation of the specific carbohydrate diet for juvenile idiopathic arthritis based on children's and parents' experiences.Pediatric rheumatology online journal · 2023Article
- A meta-ethnography of how children and young people with chronic non-cancer pain and their families experience and understand their condition, pain services, and treatments.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Review
- Do Teachers Question the Reality of Pain in Their Students? A Survey Using the Concept of Pain Inventory-Proxy (COPI-Proxy).Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Pain-coping scale for children and their parents: a cross-sectional study in children with musculoskeletal pain.Pediatric rheumatology online journal · 2023Article
- Innovative treatment formats, technologies, and clinician trainings that improve access to behavioral pain treatment for youth and adults.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- The Feasibility and Acceptability of Resilience Coaching for Adolescent Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Single-Arm Pilot Trial.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Brief Report: Does Autistic Community Connectedness Moderate the Relationship Between Masking and Wellbeing?Autism in adulthood · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveDespite considerable evidence of chronic pain in adolescents, and its adverse consequences for their health and well-being, less is known about pain-related stigma that these youth face, such as pain disbelief by others. Adolescents with chronic pain may conceal their symptoms as a coping strategy to avoid pain-related stigma, contributing to further social isolation and disruptions in medical treatment. In the current study, we used focus group methodology to examine adolescent motivations for using concealment and the possible benefits and harmful consequences of this form of coping. MATERIALS AND
methodsFive focus groups of 3-5 adolescents (ages 12-17) with chronic pain conditions (
resultsAdolescents described engaging in concealment of their pain symptoms. Our analysis revealed three social motivations for concealment: (1) avoidance of judgment; (2) avoidance of being a social burden; and (3) desire to be treated normally, and two harmful consequences of concealment: (1) social isolation and (2) cognitive burden.
conclusionDisbelief of pain symptoms may exacerbate the social isolation and disease-related burden in this population. Clinical implications of concealing pain symptoms are discussed, and points of intervention are proposed.
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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.