The Relationship between Chronic Pain and Depression in Children with Cancer

Background and Objectives: Cancer affects the functioning of individuals and families and causes psychological problems such as depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between chronic pain and depression from the perspective of children admitted to the hematology department of Hospitals affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 epidemic. Materials and Methods: This was a correlational study in which 86 children with cancer admitted to the pediatric hematology department were studied by numerical method. The Coax Depression and Chronic Pain Questionnaire was completed for all children with cancer and the coding data were analyzed by using Pearson correlation test. Results: The study of chronic pain in children and adolescents with cancer in the study population showed low chronic pain severity. Pearson correlation coefficient showed that the variable of depression in both groups of children and adolescents has a significant and direct relationship with chronic pain (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Chronic pain caused by cancer can cause the child to tend to depression. Therefore, it is recommended to relieve the chronic pain of these children as much as possible to prevent depression.