Bad children more likely to face chronic pain as adults

BADLY-BEHAVED children are more than twice as likely to suffer chronic pain in adulthood as youngsters who do not have behaviour problems, Scottish research suggests.

A team in Aberdeen who studied more than 18,000 children, born in one week in 1958 from across the UK, found a clear link between bad behaviour and pain in later life.

One possible reason for the link could be that both poor behaviour and chronic pain are caused by the same biological problems in early life, the researchers said.

The study, published in the journal Rheumatology, also looked at 920 children born overseas in the same week in 1958 who came to the UK before they were 16.

The Aberdeen University researchers collected a variety of information on the children at the age of seven, 11 and 16, and again at 42 and 45.

Parents and teachers separately assessed children's behaviour in areas such as restlessness, worrying, being alone, ability to make friends, obedience, stealing, sucking thumbs and biting nails, lying, bullying and skipping school.

At the age of 42, those taking part in the study filled in a questionnaire about any psychological distress they had suffered in adult life.

When they reached 45, they filled in another questionnaire on the amount and kind of pain they had experienced in adulthood.

The study found that chronic widespread pain (CWP) was slightly more common in women (13 per cent) than in men (12 per cent).

Those youngsters whose teachers had highlighted severe and continuous behavioural problems aged seven, 11 and 16 were more than twice as likely to suffer CWP in adulthood compared with well-behaved children.

Other studies have suggested a link between poor behaviour in childhood and psychological problems in later life, including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviour, substance abuse and psychiatric problems.

The researchers said there could be a biological reason for the effects found in the study, involving something going wrong in the interaction between the nervous system and hormones – known as neuroendocrine dysfunction.

Lead researcher Dong Pang said: "We know already that severe adverse events in childhood such as hospitalisation after a road traffic accident and separation from mothers are linked to CWP in adulthood.

"In addition, aspects of childhood behaviour are strongly related to children reporting CWP.

"However, until now, it was unknown whether maladjusted behaviour in children was a long-term marker for CWP in adulthood. Our study shows that it is."

The researcher added: "We are not sure what underlying biological mechanism underpins this relationship, but one possible explanation might be that both the childhood behaviour and the adult CWP are due to a long-term neuroendocrine dysfunction beginning in early life."

He said the body's stress response system has been shown to be linked to behaviour in childhood. Changes in this system have also been linked to CWP.

Professor Gary Macfarlane, who also worked on the study, said their findings could help identify those at higher risk of chronic pain. He said changing a person's lifestyle may help alter the pattern.