Fischer, ShanayaVinall, JillianPavlova, MariaGraham, SusanJordan, AbbieChorney, JillRasic, Nivez F.Brookes, James T.Hoy, Monica Y.Yunker, Warren K.Noel, Melanie2020-04-222020-04-222019-04Fischer, S., Vinall, J., Pavlova, M., Graham, S. A., Jordan, A., Chorney, J., Rasic, N. F., Brookes, J. T., Hoy, M. Y., Yunker, W. K., & Noel, M. (2018). Role of anxiety in young children's pain memory development after surgery. "Pain", 160(4) (2019), 965-972. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001473http://hdl.handle.net/1880/111854https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/43657Pediatric pain is common, and memory for it may be distressing and have long-lasting effects. Children who develop more negatively biased memories for pain (i.e., recalled pain is higher than initial pain report) are at risk of worse future pain outcomes. In adolescent samples, higher child and parent catastrophic thinking about pain was associated with negatively biased memories for post-surgical pain. This study examined the influence of child and parent anxiety on the development of younger children's post-surgical pain memories. Seventy-eight children undergoing a tonsillectomy and one of their parents participated. Parents reported on their anxiety (state and trait) before surgery, and trained researchers observationally-coded children's anxiety at anaesthesia induction. Children reported on their post-surgical pain intensity and pain-related fear for 3 days after discharge. One month after surgery, children recalled their pain intensity and pain-related fear using the same scales previously administered. Results revealed that higher levels of post-surgical pain and higher parent trait anxiety predicted more negatively biased memories for pain-related fear. Parent state anxiety and child preoperative anxiety were not associated with children's recall. Children who developed negatively biased pain memories had worse post-surgical pain several days after surgery. These findings underscore the importance of reducing parental anxiety and effective post-surgical pain management to potentially buffer against the development of negatively biased pain memories in young children.engUnless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.journal articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001473