Parental attitudes to children's pain and analgesic drugs in the United Kingdom.

Many children experience treatable moderate to severe pain following surgery. Increasingly, children undergo surgery as day cases, and, as such, parents are more likely to be responsible for managing pain post-operatively. Research in the United States and Finland has found parents fear the side effects of analgesics; think they are addictive; and that children should receive as little analgesia as possible. Little is known about parental attitudes in this context in the United Kingdom. This study set out to explore parental attitudes towards children's pain and analgesic drugs to contribute to existing knowledge about parental attitudes elsewhere so that the information provided to parents can be tailored effectively. A convenience sample of parents (n = 108) at one hospital in South West London completed the Parental Pain Expression Perceptions and the Medication Attitudes Questionnaires. Although many parents have a good understanding of the ways in which children express pain, a substantial proportion of parents hold misconceptions regarding how children express pain and concerns in relation to analgesic drugs. This may impact on the quality of the pain management provided to children post-operatively and needs taking into account when preparing parents in this context.

Twycross AM ，Williams AM ，Bolland RE ，Sunderland R ... -  《-》

Postoperative pain management in Latino families: parent beliefs about analgesics predict analgesic doses provided to children.

The present study examined whether parental perceptions of children's pain impacted home-based pain management following outpatient surgery in a sample of Latino families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Latino parents of children (n = 161) who underwent outpatient surgery were recruited for this study and completed measures assessing attitudes on pain and analgesic use (Parental Pain Expression Perceptions and Medication Attitudes Questionnaire) before their child's surgery. Parents also rated their child's pain after their child's surgery using the Parent Postoperative Pain Measure and collected data on the amount of analgesics they gave to their child on the first postoperative day. Hierarchical regression analyses examined whether parental attitudes predicted pain assessment and management at home. A majority of parents reported multiple misconceptions regarding children's pain and fears of side effects as well as avoidance of analgesic use. For example, over 80% reported believing that a child always tells their parents when they are in pain. Hierarchical regression analyses found that more fear and avoidance regarding analgesic use for children's pain predicted parents providing fewer doses of analgesic to their children on the first postoperative day (β = -0.21, P = 0.028). Preoperative parents' beliefs regarding analgesics for treatment of children's pain may adversely impact parent postoperative analgesic administration at home in Latino families.

Rosales A ，Fortier MA ，Campos B ，Kain ZN ... -  《-》

Attitudes regarding analgesic use and pain expression in parents of children with cancer.

Fortier MA ，Wahi A ，Maurer EL ，Tan ET ，Sender LS ，Kain ZN ... -  《-》

Exploring sociodemographic and personality characteristic predictors of parental pain perceptions.

Zisk RY ，Grey M ，MacLaren JE ，Kain ZN ... -  《-》

Pediatric Postoperative Pain Management in Korea: Parental Attitudes Toward Pain and Analgesics, Self-Efficacy, and Pain Management.

This study aimed to explore parental attitudes toward children's pain and analgesic drugs and parental self-efficacy and use of pain relief strategies in children's postoperative pain management in Korea, and to identify the relationships among these variables. A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted. Participants were 124 parents of hospitalized children (aged 4-9 years) undergoing tonsillectomy in Korea. A considerable proportion of parents held misconceptions about how children express pain. For example, 87.9% of parents perceived that children always tell their parents when they are in pain. Moreover, parents reported significant attitudinal barriers to analgesic use with 60.5% of parents believed that side effects are something to worry about when giving children pain medication. Parental attitudes to use analgesics were significantly different by children's gender, family income, and length of hospital stay. Emotional support methods such as touch, parental presence, and comfort/reassurance were the frequently used, whereas cognitive-behavioral approaches such as distraction were less frequently used nonpharmacological pain relief strategies. A parent's self-efficacy in managing children's pain significantly correlated with the appropriate use of analgesics and parental use of pain relief strategies. Promoting parental self-efficacy in postoperative pain management is important. Educational interventions focused on behavioral changes of parents, including practical guidance for pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain relief strategies, are needed. Providing parents with proper, effective education about children's postoperative pain management should not only provide accurate information but should also enhance parents' self-efficacy in assessing and managing children's pain.

Yu KE ，Kim JS 《-》