Takeaway
Harsh parenting and sleep disturbance in early childhood are associated with increasing pain symptoms, so targeting these predictors of pain trajectories may prevent pediatric pain.
Why this matters
The prevalence of chronic pediatric pain ranges from 11–38% and is associated with frequent healthcare use and impaired psychosocial function.
There is currently a lack of large longitudinal studies investigating pediatric pain trajectory patterns and associations between pediatric pain, mental health, and substance use.
This study addresses the current research gaps, as it is the first study examining the trajectories of pediatric pain symptoms from early childhood to middle adolescence.