THE EFFECTS OF PARENTAL ATTITUDES ABOUT PAIN MANAGEMENT USING ANALGESICS ON THE CHILD’S SELF PAIN REPORT Wedee, Sabrina Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care

There has been a shift in the management of pediatric pain from the hospital to home setting. Therefore, parents are largely responsible for adequately managing their child’s pain. Unfortunately, parents under treat children’s pain and parental attitudes about using pain medication for children have been highlighted as a barrier. This study examined the impact of parental attitudes on child pain report in pediatric cancer patients, a population vulnerable to the experience of chronic and recurrent pain. Two hundred and eight families of children between the ages of 8-18 who were diagnosed with cancer participated in this study. Parents filled out the Medication Attitudes Questionnaire (MAQ), a survey that assessed three factors of belief about analgesic use for children, including: appropriate use, fear of side effects, and avoidance. The results showed no difference in parental attitudes between children in pain and children without pain. Parental analgesic attitudes were not significantly related with child pain severity except in the case of avoidance or the belief that pain medication would work best only if it is given when the pain is severe. Contrary to what was anticipated, as avoidance increased child pain severity decreased. Further research will inform the complex relationship between parent’s attitudes on pain and children’s reported pain. This will help to improve the child’s quality of life while reducing the physical and psychological aspects on pain.