Assessing pain catastrophizing and functional disability in pediatric epidermolysis bullosa patients

Abstract Background/Objectives The primary objective was to assess pain catastrophizing and functional disability in pediatric patients with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) and their parents/guardians. Secondary objectives included examining relationships between pain catastrophizing, functional disability, and correlations with other factors (e.g., age, disease severity, and percent of body surface area (BSA) involved). Methods Patients with EB ages 8–16 and their parents/guardians who were English or Spanish speaking completed a one‐time online survey. Parent measures included: demographics questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale‐Parent (PCS), and Parent Functional Disability Inventory (FDI). Child measures included: PCS child and child FDI. Higher scores on both scales indicate higher levels of catastrophizing and functional disability. Results Of 31 children, the mean age was 11.47 years and the majority (70.97%) had dystrophic EB. Mean scores were: 35.84 = PCS parent; 34.58 = PCS child; 30.87 = parent FDI; 29.77 = child FDI. Total scores for PCS parent, parent FDI, and child FDI increased significantly with disease severity and percentage of involved BSA ( p < .01 for all). Total scores for PCS child increased significantly with percent of EB skin involvement ( p = .04) but not disease severity. Older children reported more functional disability than their parents and younger children ( p = .02). Conclusions Our results demonstrate significant positive correlations between negative thoughts related to pain and the experience of functional difficulties in patients with EB and their caregivers. Psychological, psychiatric, and/or behavioral interventions to help managing chronic pain may be effective for patients with EB.