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Link between childhood misbehavior and chronic pain
Findings from an analysis of data from the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study revealed that there is a connection between childhood behavior and chronic pain in later life. The study, published online in Rheumatology, found that children observed to steal, be irritable, disobedient, or to bully others were at greater risk for chronic pain during middle-life. Youngsters who were observed to have persistent misbehavior (as measured at ages seven, 11, and 16) were found to have twice the risk of developing widespread chronic pain at age 45. The study utilized teachers to fill out standardized questioners due to their relatively intimate observation of the participants in social situations. The researchers wrote, “…teachers are in a unique position to assess each child because they are able to make a comparison with the child’s peers in situations involving varying formal tasks and social demands.” The study of chronic pain in relationship to life-course behaviors is still in its infancy, which makes these findings so unique. Click here to read an article from Medpage Today that discusses this study more.
