Help overcoming pain early, a brief person-centred intervention for adolescents with chronic pain in a school setting, may improve symptoms of insomnia.

Introduction and aims: Chronic pain and symptoms of insomnia affect large numbers of adolescents and early interventions are prioritized. The aim of the current study was to evaluate potential secondary effects of the intervention, Help Overcoming Pain Early (HOPE), on symptoms of insomnia and self-rated health. Methods: The study included non-randomized aggregated data from the active and control conditions in a previously conducted randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of HOPE, after the participants in the control condition also had received the intervention. Symptoms of insomnia were assessed with the Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale and self-rated health was assessed with one item, at the start of the intervention, post intervention, and at a six-month follow-up. Baseline variables included age, gender, pain localization, pain impact, school absence and symptoms of depression (assessed with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children). Inferential analyzes were performed using Linear Mixed Models (LMM). Effect sizes were evaluated by calculating Cohen's d. Results: There were statistically significant improvements in symptoms of insomnia at the six-month follow-up, and statistically significant improvements in self-rated health at the end of the intervention and at the six-month follow-up. Effect sizes were small across outcomes and assessments. Discussion and conclusion: Results illustrated significant but small improvements in symptoms of insomnia and self-rated health in adolescents with chronic pain following the HOPE intervention. Although caution is needed when assessing the findings, results illustrate the potential utility of an accessible brief early intervention in a school context.

Effects of a person-centred approach in a school setting for adolescents with chronic pain-The HOPE randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain among adolescents is common but effective interventions applicable in a school setting are rare. Person-centred care (PCC) is a key factor in improving health by engaging persons as partners in their own care. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 98 adolescents in secondary school or upper secondary school (aged 14 - 21 years) with chronic pain were randomly assigned to a PCC intervention or standard school healthcare. In the intervention group a pain management programme, based on a PCC approach, comprising four face-to-face sessions with a school nurse over a period of 5 weeks was added to standard school healthcare. The main outcome measure was self-efficacy in daily activities (SEDA scale) and rating scales for pain intensity and pain impact were used as secondary outcome measures. RESULTS: At the follow-up, no significant differences were found between the groups in the SEDA scale (p = .608) or in the rating scales for pain intensity (p = .261) and pain impact (p = .836). In the sub-group analysis, a significant improvement in the SEDA scale was detected at the secondary school in favour of the PCC intervention group (p = .021). CONCLUSION: In this pain management programme based on a PCC approach, we found no effect in the total sample, but the programme showed promising results to improve self-efficacy in daily activities among adolescents at secondary school. SIGNIFICANCE: This study evaluates the effects of a pain management programme based on a PCC approach in a school setting addressing adolescents at upper secondary and secondary schools with chronic pain. No overall effects were shown, but results illustrate that the intervention improved self-efficacy in adolescents at secondary school. Implementation of a PCC approach in a school setting may have the potential to improve self-efficacy in daily activities for adolescents with chronic pain at secondary school.

Development of the Help Overcoming Pain Early (HOPE) Programme Built on a Person-Centred Approach to Support School Nurses in the Care of Adolescents with Chronic Pain-A Feasibility Study.

Chronic pain and its consequences are major global health challenges, and the prevalence is increasing worldwide among adolescents. Adolescents spend most of their waking hours in school; however, there is limited research available on how school nurses can address chronic pain among adolescents in the Swedish school context. Therefore, we designed a person-centred intervention, known as Help Overcoming Pain Early (HOPE), to enable school nurses to offer adolescents strategies to manage their stress and pain. We used the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and designing this new complex intervention. For this study, we describe two of the four phases: (a) development and (b) feasibility and piloting. The final version of the HOPE programme consists of (i) an educational package for school nurses in the areas person-centred care, stress and pain education/management and gender perspective; and (ii) an intervention package for adolescents with chronic pain. The programme consists of four sessions during which adolescents with chronic pain have person-centred dialogues with a school nurse. The HOPE programme is based on the existing evidence of managing chronic pain and on the assumption that school nurses can support adolescents with chronic pain by using person-centred care.