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A Pilot Study on the Freelisting Method Among Adolescents with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Feasibility, Acceptability and Study Findings
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

A Pilot Study on the Freelisting Method Among Adolescents with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Feasibility, Acceptability and Study Findings

Sabrina Gmuca, Dori Abel, Mackenzie Mcgill, Daneka Stryker, Eda Akpek, Whitney Eriksen, Pamela F. Weiss and Peter F. Cronholm
Children (Basel), v 12(1), 48
01 Jan 2025
PMID: 39857879
url
https://doi.org/10.3390/children12010048View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology Pediatrics
Background/Objectives: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of freelisting for adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) and use freelisting to identify how adolescents with CMP cope with pain. Methods: This was a mixed-methods cross-sectional single-center study of patients 12-18 years old, diagnosed with CMP. Twenty-seven subjects participated in an interview which included the freelisting exercise, probing questions, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10-item, and semi-structured interview. Feasibility was pre-defined as >= 85% completion. A list of 'standardized' freelisting terms was created, and we calculated Smith's salience index. Freelisting terms were grouped into individual, family, friends, school, and medical domains. Results: In this predominantly female population, resilience levels were low to moderate, and on average, participants had moderate pain intensity and functional disability. The freelisting exercise was feasible and acceptable among females, with low recruitment of males. Salient words to describe adolescents' pain included frustrating, upsetting, annoying, and painful. Participants identified family, friends, teachers, guidance counselors, and health professionals as key sources of support. Many participants reported difficulties communicating their pain. Helpful coping strategies included rest, distraction, relaxation, endurance, and extracurricular participation. Conclusions: Freelisting was well perceived among female adolescents with CMP. Supportive relationships with community members play an important role for this population. However, perceived stigma may deter female adolescents from talking about their pain. Purposive sampling of male participants and recruitment strategies ensuring diverse patient representation are necessary to ensure generalizability of future results when using the freelisting method for adolescents with CMP.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Pediatrics
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