Coping in youth living with chronic pain: A systematic review of qualitative evidence

Chronic pain is progressively receiving attention as a universal public health priority. It is anticipated that there will be an increase in the prevalence of chronic pain in the coming years, particularly among youth. Chronic pain can be stressful and have a significant impact on young people and their family. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the best available qualitative evidence on the coping experiences of youth living with chronic pain and to note whether there were any differences in their coping experiences. A multi-database search was conducted including child development and adolescent studies. CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Scopus were searched for eligible English-language articles from inception to December 2023. Out of 1625 article titles and abstracts screened for eligibility, 280 articles underwent full-text screening, with 20 ultimately meeting all inclusion criteria. We conducted a thematic analysis of data extracted from the 20 reviewed articles. We arrived at two synthesized findings. A Different Way of Being considers the experience of being a youth with chronic pain. Learning to Get By looks at the coping strategies youth use to manage their chronic pain and involved youth using self-directed strategies, as well as relying on external supports. It is apparent from these synthesized findings that youths’ lives have been significantly impacted by chronic pain. Findings from this study can be used to support the care and well-being of youth living with chronic pain.