Grant: Operating Grant

Although the exact prevalence of pediatric chronic postsurgical pain is not known, recent estimates indicate that between 10% and 50% of children experience pain six months after common surgical procedures. Very little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the transition from acute to chronic postsurgical pain in children. Well-validated models, based in part on work our group has conducted with adults and children, have lead us to propose testable psychological and behavioural mechanisms that are involved in the transition from acute to chronic pain among children undergoing surgery. We will use a prospective, longitudinal design to evaluate the role of specific biomedical, psychological and behavioural processes associated with the development of chronic postsurgical pain and pain-related disability up to one year after surgery. The identification of such mechanisms has important implications for developing psychological interventions to prevent children from developing chronic postsurgical pain.