Supporting Children with Chronic Pain in School: Understanding Teachers’ Experiences of Pain in the Classroom

Abstract

First paragraph: Chronic pain is a common experience for children with the median international prevalence rate ranging from 11% to 38% (King et al., 2011). Within an Irish context, approximately 10% of primary school children suffer from chronic pain (O’Higgins et al., 2015). Headache, abdominal and musculoskeletal pain are the most commonly reported types of paediatric chronic pain (King et al., 2011). However, children often report pain in multiple sites (Perquin, 2000). Children spend a majority of their waking hours in school and for those with chronic pain, attendance, academic achievement, peer relationships and their perceived competence in these domains can be negatively impacted by the experience of persistent pain (Dick & Riddell, 2010; Gorodzinsky, Hainsworth & Weisman, 2011).