Gender differences in the experience of pain dismissal in adolescence

"You're Not Alone": How Adolescents Share Dysmenorrhea Experiences Through Vlogs

Many adolescents experience severe pain during menstruation, yet their attempts to receive medical attention to alleviate or manage this pain are often met with dismissal or disbelief. In light of these barriers to care, many adolescents turn to social media to share their experiences with menstruation and pain, as well as hear from other members of their community. In this study, we investigated how adolescents present their experiences with menstruation in vlogs (or "video blogs"). Using critical qualitative methods and a four-column analysis structure, we transcribed and thematically analyzed the audio and video content of 17 YouTube vlogs wherein adolescents described their experiences with menstrual pain. We found that stylistically, the vloggers modulated between a polished documentary style and an intimate storytime style of video production. We additionally found that vloggers spoke about their menstrual pain experiences from three perspectives: as a Patient managing and diagnosing physical symptoms, as a Self considering how the pain affects their life and ambitions, and as a Teacher educating their audience. Considering both the visual and audio data, we discuss how healthcare providers can use these findings to inform their approach to discussing menstrual pain with adolescents. We further discuss possible future directions for research into health story sharing on social media.

Primary care clinicians' perspectives on interacting with patients with gynaecological conditions: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Studies have found that women with gynaecological conditions and symptoms do not feel listened to by primary care clinicians (PCCs). Less understood is whether PCCs perceive that there are challenges around listening to and interacting with this patient group.

AIM

To understand PCCs' perspectives on the challenges of listening to and interacting with women patients with gynaecological conditions and symptoms.

DESIGN & SETTING

Systematic review of English-language studies.

METHOD

We searched ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts), CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Embase, HMIC (Healthcare Management Information Consortium), and MEDLINE from inception to July 2023. We also conducted forward and backward citation searches of included studies. Identified records were screened independently by two reviewers. Data extraction was undertaken by one reviewer and checked by a second. Quality appraisal used the Wallace checklist. 'Best-fit' framework synthesis was used to synthesise findings around themes that explored the challenges of patient-clinician interaction.

RESULTS

We identified 25 relevant articles. Perceived challenges associated with listening to and interacting with patients with gynaecological conditions and symptoms were identified at four 'levels': individual clinician level factors; structural and organisational factors; community and external factors; and factors related to gynaecological conditions. Interpretive analysis identified specific challenges relating to sociocultural factors affecting the consultation experience; the need for further education, training, or guidance for clinicians; factors affecting referral decisions; and factors related to service structure and organisation.

CONCLUSION

PCCs acknowledge that empathy, respect, and attentive listening are important when interacting with women patients with gynaecological conditions and symptoms. However, these ideals are impeded by several factors.

A developmental framework for understanding the influence of sex and gender on health: Pediatric pain as an exemplar

Sex differences are a robust finding in many areas of adult health, including cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, and chronic pain. However, many sex differences are not consistently observed until after the onset of puberty. This has led to the hypothesis that hormones are primary contributors to sex differences in health outcomes, largely ignoring the relative contributions of early developmental influences, emerging psychosocial factors, gender, and the interaction between these variables. In this paper, we argue that a comprehensive understanding of sex and gender contributions to health outcomes should start as early as conception and take an iterative biopsychosocial-developmental perspective that considers intersecting social positions. We present a conceptual framework, informed by a review of the literature in basic, clinical, and social science that captures how critical developmental stages for both sex and gender can affect children's health and longer-term outcomes. The literature on pediatric chronic pain is used as a worked example of how the framework can be applied to understanding different chronic conditions.

Lived Experiences of Adolescents Living With Primary Chronic Pain

BACKGROUND

Primary chronic pain (PCP), a relatively new classification, characterizes pain that is not a secondary response to an underlying primary condition such as trauma or cancer. This study explored the lived experience of adolescents with a diagnosis of PCP.

METHOD

A qualitative methodology, Interpretative Description (ID), was used to guide our study. ID uses a constructivist approach and allows for clinician experience to guide a theoretical scaffold of inquiry, which can be refined as the data collection progresses. We interviewed fifteen adolescents (n = 15) living with PCP.

RESULTS

All participants in this sample reported struggling with diagnostic uncertainty, depression, and anxiety. Adding to their distress was the fact that our participants perceived that health care professionals did not believe them when they described their pain and its intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

While significant research is being conducted on PCP, participants believe there is a lack of knowledge about PCP as a diagnosis and thus there are limited resources and a lack of empathy and understanding for these adolescents.

"He told me my pain was in my head": mitigating testimonial injustice through peer support

Introduction

Women with disabilities are exposed to sexism and ableism, earn less income, and work in exceptionally challenging conditions compared to women without disabilities and men with or without disabilities. Adolescent girls living with scoliosis may begin experiencing this compounding bias during their encounters with healthcare from the moment they start noticing differences in their bodies. Being significantly more likely than boys to progress to a curve angle where painful treatment such as bracing or spinal fusion surgery is required, adolescent girls living with scoliosis are therefore more likely to experience chronic pain. The long-term impact of pain and pain-related stigma includes lower educational attainments, decreased vocational functionality, and social impairments in adults after having experienced chronic pain in adolescence.

Approach

In this article, the authors will explore the effects and mechanisms of gender-specific peer support in disrupting this trajectory to adverse outcomes. Through individual interviews consisting of open-ended questions, the researchers gathered narrative data from Curvy Girls members, a community-based peer support group for girls and young women living with scoliosis. The data was analyzed using an applied philosophical hermeneutics approach, with intersectionality and testimonial injustice as their framework.

Findings

They found that the study participants had their pain narratives reinterpreted by the adults in their lives, including their parents and healthcare practitioners, leading them to question and doubt their own experiences.

Discussion

These negative outcomes were mitigated through the peer support they received and offered from Curvy Girls. Participants reported having gained confidence and a sense of belonging after they joined this group, allowing them to better cope with their condition more effectively in different facets of their lives.

Testicular torsion is overrepresented among malpractice cases for gonadal torsion

INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVE

Ovarian and testicular torsion are comparable surgical emergencies that may result in organ loss and, as such, have high litigious potential. We sought to describe the relative frequency and outcome of malpractice litigation between cases of ovarian and testicular torsion.

METHODS

Searches were completed in the Westlaw Jury Verdicts & Settlements and Lexis Cases databases using the following search terms: "(ovarian or ovary)/5 torsion" and "(testicular or testicle)/5 torsion". Cases were excluded if they were not directly related to torsion or were not malpractice claims. Cases were reviewed for year, jurisdiction, age of plaintiff, verdict, appeal status, contention, damages, and alleged time delay to appropriate care.

RESULTS

The legal databases contained 155 malpractice cases related to testicular torsion and 4 cases related to ovarian torsion. Two of three ovarian torsion cases and 52% of testicular torsion cases with available rulings were in favor of the defense. The median age of plaintiffs in testicular torsion cases was 14, and 75% were minors. Median delay in care for testicular cases was 3 days, and median damages awarded to plaintiffs was $250,000 ($12,000-8.5 million). No data regarding age, delay in care, or damages were available for ovarian torsion cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Among malpractice cases related to gonadal torsion, testicular torsion is vastly overrepresented despite literature demonstrating longer delays in care and greater likelihood of gonadal loss in ovarian torsion during the study period.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

'That's what makes me better': Investigating children and adolescents' experiences of pain communication with healthcare professionals in paediatric rheumatology

BACKGROUND

Pain communication should be an integral part of clinical consultations, particularly in paediatric rheumatology where children and adolescents frequently present with chronic musculoskeletal pain. To date, literature exploring the nature of and extent to which pain communication occurs has focused on healthcare professionals as respondents, yielding inconsistent and incomplete findings. The aim of this study was to explore children and adolescents' experiences of pain communication in the context of paediatric rheumatology consultations.

METHODS

Data were collected using semi-structured telephone interviews with children and adolescents recruited from three tertiary paediatric rheumatology centres in the United Kingdom. A framework analysis approach was used to explore the similarities and divergences in participant accounts.

RESULTS

Twenty-six children and adolescents (aged 6-18 years, median = 14, 58% female) participated. Diagnoses included: juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Chronic Idiopathic Pain Syndromes, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome/Hypermobility. Four themes were identified: (1) Co-ordination of pain communication; (2) Barriers to pain communication; (3) Facilitators of pain communication; (4) Dissatisfaction with pain communication. These themes particularly encompassed the process of communication, disclosure of effective and ineffective approaches and the impact of communication. Participants expected questions about pain, felt cared about and found talking about pain natural. Challenges included augmenting the feeling of being different to peers and concerns about management plans changing as a result of pain conversations.

CONCLUSIONS

Children and adolescents recalled a range of effective and ineffective pain communication approaches. Our study informs recommendations which highlight how healthcare professionals can improve their communication about pain with children and adolescents in the future.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our findings demonstrate that children and adolescents attending paediatric rheumatology expect to be and value being asked about their pain during consultations with healthcare professionals. Children and adolescents remember many of the processes involved, experiences of and the outcomes of pain communication. The current study reveals insights which can improve healthcare professional pain communication with children and adolescents. Our study introduces key recommendations for healthcare professionals to have more effective pain conversations in future.

A Review of the Impact of Sociodemographic Factors on the Assessment and Management of Pediatric Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

BACKGROUND

While factors such as race, sex, gender identity, and socioeconomic status impact the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions, there are few studies examining their influence on somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRDs), particularly in the pediatric population.

OBJECTIVE

In this review, we outline the existing literature on how sociodemographic characteristics influence the overall care of pediatric SSRDs. Throughout this literature review, we highlight opportunities for further research, including potential disparities in evaluation, management, and outcomes along several sociodemographic domains.

METHODS

We conducted a thorough review of the evidence for potential impact of race, sex, gender identity, and socioeconomic status on the presentation, diagnosis, management, and outcomes of pediatric somatization and SSRDs.

RESULTS

Recent studies evaluating the impact of race on SSRD care suggest the potential for provider bias in the evaluation and management of this population based on racial differences in diagnostic evaluations. Somatization may present differently based on a patient's race and potential cross-cultural status. Among studies of cisgender patients, there is evidence of provider bias in the assessment of somatic symptoms such that female patients are more likely to be diagnosed with an SSRD than male patients. However, there is little research among youth identifying as LGBTQ. The literature also indicates that low socioeconomic status and associated stressors are linked with the development of SSRDs, although it is unclear whether these factors are subject to bias by providers.

CONCLUSIONS

While the literature is sparse, there is evidence that sociodemographic factors contribute to differences in diagnosis, evaluation, and management of pediatric SSRDs. These factors, particularly race and sex, may also be subject to provider bias, although further studies are necessary. Provider bias can directly impact patients' perception of care, including feelings of dismissal, and may have downstream influences on symptom manifestation, patient-provider engagement, diagnostic evaluation, and management practices.

Characterizing Sex Differences in Depressive-Like Behavior and Glial Brain Cell Changes Following Peripheral Nerve Injury in Mice

Chronic pain and depression are intimately linked; the combination of the two leads to higher health care costs, lower quality of life, and worse treatment outcomes with both conditions exhibiting higher prevalence among women. In the current study, we examined the development of depressive-like behavior in male and female mice using the spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathic pain. Males displayed increased immobility on the forced-swim test - a measure of depressive-like behavior - 2 weeks following injury, while females developed depressive-like behavior at 3-week. Since the pathogenesis of chronic pain and depression may involve overlapping mechanisms including the activation of microglial cells, we explored glial cell changes in brain regions associated with pain processing and affect. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that microglial cells were more numerous in female SNI mice in the contralateral ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain region important for pain processing and affect behavior, 2-week following surgery. Microglial cell activation was not different between any of the groups for the dorsal ACC or nucleus accumbens. Analysis of astrocyte density did not reveal any significant changes in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) staining in the ACC or nucleus accumbens. Overall, the current study characterized peripheral nerve injury induced depression-like behavior in male and female mice, which may be associated with different patterns of glial cell activation in regions important for pain processing and affect.

Battle of the Appraisals: Pain-Related Injustice Versus Catastrophizing as Mediators in the Relationship Between Pain Intensity and 3-Month Outcomes in Adolescents with Chronic Pain

Pain appraisals are closely tied to pain and functional outcomes. Pain-related injustice and pain catastrophizing appraisals have both been identified as important cognitive-emotional factors in the pain experience of youth. Although pain-related injustice and catastrophizing have been linked to worse pain outcomes - as primary predictors and intermediary variables - little is known about whether they operate as independent or parallel mediators of the relationship between pain and functioning in youth. We tested pain-related injustice and catastrophizing appraisals as candidate mediators of the relationship between baseline pain intensity and 3-month functional outcomes in adolescents. Youth with chronic pain (N = 89, 76% female, 89% White, average age = 15 years) completed measures assessing pain intensity, pain-related injustice, and catastrophizing at baseline, as well as measures assessing functional disability and overall quality of life 3 months later. Multiple mediation analyses indicated that injustice mediated the relationship between pain intensity and 3 month quality of life. Exploratory analyses of specific quality of life domains indicated that injustice mediated the relationship between pain intensity and 3 month emotional functioning, whereas catastrophizing mediated the relationship between pain intensity and 3 month social functioning. The findings suggest these pain-related appraisals play different intermediary roles in the relationships among pain and future psychosocial outcomes. PERSPECTIVE: Pain-related injustice and catastrophizing appraisals play different intermediary roles in the relationships among pain and future psychosocial outcomes in youth with chronic pain. Treatments targeting pain-related injustice appraisals in pediatric populations are needed to complement existing treatments for catastrophizing.

Anger as a Mechanism of Injustice Appraisals in Pediatric Chronic Pain

Mechanisms explaining the relationship between pain-related injustice appraisals and functional outcomes in youth with chronic pain have yet to be examined. In studies of adults, greater pain-related injustice is associated with worse depressive symptoms and greater pain through greater anger. No study to date has examined anger expression as a mediator in the relationships between pain-related injustice appraisals and physical and psychosocial functioning in youth with chronic pain. The current sample consisted of 385 youth with varied pain conditions (75% female, 88% White, M_age=14.4 years) presenting to a university-affiliated pain clinic. Patients completed self-report measures assessing anger expression (anger-out and anger-in), pain-related injustice, pain intensity, functional disability, and emotional, social, and school functioning. Bootstrapped mediation analyses indicated that only anger-out (indirect effect= -.12, 95% CI: -.21, -.05) mediated the relationship between pain-related injustice and emotional functioning, whereas both anger-out (indirect effect= -.17, 95% CI: -.27, -.09) and anger-in (indirect effect= -.13, 95% CI: -.09, -.001) mediated the relationship between pain-related injustice and social functioning. Neither mode of anger expression mediated the relationship between pain-related injustice and pain intensity, functional disability, or school functioning. Collectively, these findings implicate anger as one mechanism by which pain-related injustice impacts psychosocial outcomes for youth with chronic pain. Perspective: Anger expression plays a mediating role in the relationship between pain-related injustice appraisals and psychosocial outcomes for youth with chronic pain. Anger represents one target for clinical care to decrease the deleterious impact of pain-related injustice on emotional and social functioning.

Parents Reliably Identify Pain Dismissal by Pediatric Providers

OBJECTIVES

Approximately 40% of children and adolescents with chronic pain report at least 1 dismissal experience, citing medical providers and parents as the primary and most distressing dismissers. Previous research indicates sex differences in pain dismissal experience and observer pain perception. This study examined parental reactions to dismissive provider-child scenarios and the influence of provider and patient sex on perceptions.

METHODS

Community parents (N=326) completed an online survey. Parents were randomized to listen to 1 of 8 vignettes of a provider-child chronic pain scenario. Vignettes varied by type of scenario (appropriate vs. dismissive)×provider sex×patient sex.

RESULTS

Overall, parents rated the dismissive scenario more negatively. There was a significant interaction between provider sex and scenario regarding likelihood to bring their own child to this provider and a significant 3-way interaction regarding provider belief of the pain complaint. When asked how they would feel if this was their own child, parents who heard the dismissive scenario reported more negative reactions. When asked what they would say to the provider, parents in the dismissive condition were more likely to defend their child and request a second opinion.

DISCUSSION

Parents consistently identified the dismissive language in a child and provider scenario. Female providers and sex-matched dyads seem to be more polarizing in terms of likelihood to bring their child to the provider and belief of pain, respectively. Providers within these groups may need to be especially cautious with their language when responding to pediatric chronic pain complaints.

Telling, Hearing, and Believing: A Critical Analysis of Narrative Bioethics

Narrative ethics taps into an inherent human need to tell our own stories centred on our own moral values and to have those stories heard and acknowledged. However, not everyone's words are afforded equal power. The use of narrative ethics in bioethical decision-making is problematized by a disparity in whose stories are told, whose stories are heard, and whose stories are believed. Here, I conduct an analysis of narrative ethics through a critical theory lens to show how entrenched patterns of narrative neglect in medicine are harming not only our capacity to make use of narrative ethics but also our capacity to deliver effective healthcare. To illustrate this point, I use three examples where the patient's gender affects how their stories unfold: autism, weight, and pain management. From these, I argue that the use of narrative ethics without the application of a critical theory lens risks the exacerbation of what Miranda Fricker refers to as "testimonial injustice," the prima facie harm experienced by individuals whose credibility is undermined by others' prejudices. Finally, I suggest that narrative ethics can be a powerful tool for mitigating oppressive practices in medicine if we couple it with critical analysis that enables us to understand the power dynamics at play in storytelling.

Sex and Gender are Not the Same: Why Identity Is Important for People Living with HIV and Chronic Pain

Background

Sex differences in pain sensitivity have been well documented, such that women often report greater sensitivity than men. However, clinical reports highlighting sex differences often equate gender and sex. This is a particularly critical oversight for those whose gender identity is different than their genetic sex.

Methods

This preliminary study sets to analyze differences in pain responses between cisgender and transgender individuals living with HIV and chronic pain. A total of 51 African-American participants (24 cisgender men, 20 cisgender women, 7 transgender women) with similar socioeconomic status were recruited. Genetic sex, gender identity, depression and anxiety, pain severity, pain interference and pain-related stigma were recorded. Participants also completed a quantitative sensory testing battery to assess pain in response to noxious heat and mechanical stimuli.

Results

Transgender women and cisgender women demonstrated a greater magnitude of temporal summation for heat pain stimuli or mechanical stimuli compared to cisgender men. Specifically, transgender women reported greater mechanical summation than either cisgender women or cisgender men. Transgender women and cisgender women similarly reported greater chronic pain severity compared to cisgender men.

Conclusion

These data support the notion that gender identity may play a more significant role in pain sensation than genetic sex. These results further maintain that not only gender identity and genetic sex are distinct variables but that treatment should be based on identity as opposed to genetic sex.

Evaluating Differential Effects of Specific Pain Dismissal Interactions With Physicians

OBJECTIVES

Over 40% of adolescents with chronic pain report experiencing pain dismissal, which is a response from another individual that is perceived as diminishing, denying, or disbelieving an individual's report of pain. Pain dismissal by physicians often leaves patients feeling discredited, which may discourage them from seeking and receiving proper treatment for their pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the 4 most commonly reported types of physician pain dismissal differentially affect individuals' reactions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Emerging adults, age 18- to 25-years old (N=352, 60% female), were randomly assigned to read 1 of 4 vignettes describing patient-provider interactions that included the most commonly reported types of pain dismissal identified by previous research: denial/disbelief, minimizing, faking for secondary gain, and psychogenic. Participants answered questions regarding their reactions to the pain dismissal vignettes.

RESULTS

All 4 vignettes were perceived as dismissive and problematic by the majority of participants, but participants who read the psychogenic pain dismissal vignette were less dissatisfied overall with the hypothetical medical appointment than participants who read the other 3 vignettes.

DISCUSSION

All 4 types of physician pain dismissal were broadly perceived negatively, suggesting that the experience of pain dismissal is likely not due to patient hypersensitivity but to physician behavior. Discussion of the psychological factors associated with pain was less likely to be perceived as dismissive. Psychologists and physicians should collaborate to develop recommended language that validates patients' experiences of pain, communicates appropriate levels of empathy, and reduces the frequency of perceived physician pain dismissal.