• Bianca Chabot, Hilary Sweatman, Don D Ocay, Shajenth Premachandran, Mathieu Roy, and Catherine E Ferland.
• Departments of Psychology.
• Clin J Pain. 2021 Sep 1; 37 (9): 688697688-697.

ObjectivesPain catastrophizing in children and adolescents has been associated to unfavorable postsurgical outcomes. However, pain catastrophizing is rarely measured throughout the perioperative period. Using a prospective longitudinal approach, the present study aimed to identify how pain catastrophizing changes over the perioperative period in pediatric surgical patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.Materials And MethodsAdolescent patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Children and additional questionnaires to assess pain intensity, state and trait anxiety, and kinesiophobia before surgery, and 1, 2, 5 days, 6 weeks, and 6 months after surgery.ResultsPatients who had higher levels of pain catastrophizing before surgery were more likely to be anxious, avoid activity that may cause pain, report higher pain intensity before surgery and anticipate more pain after surgery. Low pain catastrophizers increased into a moderate level of pain catastrophizing before decreasing after discharge from the hospital. Meanwhile, moderate and high pain catastrophizers both decreased into lower and moderate levels of catastrophizing, respectively, after discharge from the hospital.DiscussionThese findings demonstrate that pain catastrophizing in adolescents changes over the perioperative period. Observing changes in pain catastrophizing throughout the perioperative period may help in recognizing when patients are most vulnerable during this time. Decreasing pain catastrophizing before surgery or in the acute postoperative period through therapies that target pain catastrophizing may help reduce the patient's likelihood of experiencing unfavorable postoperative outcomes.Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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