COPING WITH PAIN AND SURGERY - CHILDRENS AND PARENTS PERSPECTIVES

This article examines relations between coping with general and postop erative pain, children's and parents' coping ratings, and the contribu tion of temperament and coping to postoperative adjustment. Before and after day surgery, 7- to 12-year-olds (n = 124) rated their coping wi th pain. Parents rated their child's coping and temperament. Pain and distress were rated on the day of and 2 days following surgery. Coping with general and postoperative pain were moderately correlated (media n r = .48). Except for distraction, all types of coping strategies wer e used more frequently for general than postoperative pain, Correlatio ns between child and parent coping ratings were moderate (median r =.3 6). After controlling for emotionality and medications, lower levels o f emotion-focused avoidance and higher levels of distraction were rela ted to lower pain and distress. After controlling for a priori surgica l group (no-low pain; moderate-high pain), emotionality, and medicatio ns, lower levels of emotion-focused avoidance were related to lower pa in and distress but distraction was no longer significant in a number of the regressions. Coping with pain has trait-like qualities but diff erences in the nature and context of pain create differences in strate gy use. Level of pain appears to influence the type of coping strategi es used. Interventions should target children's use of distraction and minimize use of emotion-focused avoidance.