Pain Science Education for Children Living With and Beyond Cancer:
Challenges and Research Agenda
Abstract
Pain in children living with and beyond cancer is understudied and
undertreated. Pain science education (PSE) is a conceptual change
strategy facilitating patients’ understanding of the biopsychosocial
aspects of pain. Preliminary studies on the adaptation of PSE
interventions to adults with and beyond cancer provide a foundation for
pediatric research. PSE could help childhood cancer survivors
experiencing persistent pain and pain-related worry after active
treatment. PSE may also help children receiving cancer treatment,
providing them with a foundation of adaptive pain beliefs and
cognitions, and preparing them for procedural and treatment-related
pain. We direct this paper towards pediatric oncology clinicians, policy
makers and researchers working with children living with and beyond
cancer. We aim to; (1) identify challenges in adapting PSE for children
living with and beyond cancer, (2) offer possible solutions, and (3)
propose research questions to guide the implementation of PSE for
children living with and beyond cancer.