Self-Reported COVID-19 Impact on Adolescents with Chronic Widespread Musculoskeletal Pain

Research on the impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with chronic pain has focused on outcomes within the initial 6 months of the pandemic and demonstrated some initial improvement in pain interference unless there was economic hardship. Little is known about how the pandemic's progression into a chronic life stressor has impacted this population. The purpose of the current study was to describe the self-reported physical and emotional impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain (CWMP) approximately 6–18 months after the initial shut-down. Participants were 25 female patients and 1 gender fluid patient between 12-17 years (Mage =15.69, SD =1.55) at a tertiary outpatient pain management clinic who were recruited between August 2020 and February 2021. Participants completed the Pain and Symptom Assessment Tool (PSAT) online to determine eligibility. Participants who did not speak English and those with a comorbid chronic illness were excluded from the study. Eligible participants completed a self-report COVID-19 impact scale. All participants completed the COVID-19 impact scale in its entirety. Many indicated worsening physical symptoms related to the pandemic: pain (50%), fatigue (61.5%), physical activity (65.4%), and treatment engagement (50%). The majority of participants endorsed worsening of overall mood (92.3%), anxiety (88.5%), frustration (80.8%), and depressed mood (73.1%). Fewer participants endorsed worsening of sleep: sleep onset (50%), sleep duration (42.3%), and daytime napping (38.5%). Worsening school performance was endorsed by 46.2%. The majority of adolescents with CWMP reported worsening physical and emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common finding was worsening mood, which is in-line with the current behavioral health crisis in youth. Clinical implications include routine evaluation of physical and psychosocial symptoms of youth with chronic pain to provide appropriate psychological treatment referrals as the impact of the pandemic may change overtime. This research was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number K23AR073934. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.