Topical Review: Resilience Resources and Mechanisms in Pediatric Chronic Pain.

OBJECTIVE To apply resilience theory and the extant literature to propose a resilience-risk model for pediatric chronic pain and provide an agenda for research and clinical practice in pediatric chronic pain resilience.  METHOD Literature review to develop a resilience-risk model for pediatric chronic pain. RESULTS The chronic pain literature has identified unique individual and social/environmental resilience resources and pain-related resilience mechanisms that promote pain adaptation. These data support our ecological resilience-risk model for pediatric chronic pain, and the model highlights novel directions for clinical and research efforts for youth with chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS The examination of pediatric chronic pain from a strengths-based approach might lead to novel clinical avenues to empower youth to positively adapt and live beyond their pain.