• Karen E Weiss, Cynthia Harbeck-Weber, Michael J Zaccariello, Jacqueline N Kimondo, Tracy E Harrison, and Barbara K Bruce.
• Department of Psychiatry and Psychology.
• Pain Med. 2018 Jan 1; 19 (1): 60-67.

ObjectiveDespite ample research documenting deficits in executive functioning for adults with chronic pain, the literature on pediatric patients with chronic pain is limited and provides mixed results. The current study sought to further investigate the nature of executive dysfunction in this population and also examine the relationships between pain intensity, duration, and catastrophizing with sustained attention, working memory, and self- and parent-report of executive functioning.SettingsPediatric pain clinic and rehabilitation program.ParticipantsForty adolescents with chronic pain and their parents participated in this study.MethodsParticipants completed neuropsychological measures and standardized self-report questionnaires during a 45- to 60-minute testing session.ResultsFifty percent of this sample of adolescents with chronic pain demonstrated significant difficulties on at least one measure, with nine participants indicating difficulties on multiple measures. Pain significantly increased during the testing session. Pain variables of intensity, duration, and catastrophizing are related to sustained attention and working memory.ConclusionsThis study adds support to previous findings suggesting subclinical struggles with executive functioning for adolescents with chronic pain. One-half of the sample indicated difficulties in either sustained attention and/or working memory. Future studies that would more thoroughly examine more complex executive functioning skills in this population would be helpful to further guide multidisciplinary treatment of these patients, particularly regarding whether or not school accommodations are warranted.© 2017 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

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