School Attendance Pre- and Post-Pandemic in Adolescents with Chronic Pain

Bibliographic Data

ID15716159
AuthorsJasmine Berry (0000-0002-7864-0847, Mayo Clinic, corresponding author), Leslie Sim (0000-0003-1487-1862, Mayo Clinic), Cynthia Harbeck‐Weber (0000-0001-8371-4890, Mayo Clinic), CYNTHIA HARBECK-WEBER (Mayo Clinic), Karen Weiss (0000-0002-3804-3466, Mayo Clinic)
Year2025
Volume13
Issue1
Pages15-15
Publication date2025-12-20
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChildren (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/children13010015
PMID41597023
OpenAlexW7116660193
LanguageEN
References cited15

Background/Objective : The COVID-19 pandemic led to a widespread transition to online learning. Yet, it is unclear how this shift in learning format impacted school attendance in adolescents with chronic pain, a group that struggles with school absenteeism. This study compared school attendance and format (e.g., in-person, online) in patients with chronic pain attending an Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment Program (IIPT) before the pandemic to an age- and gender-matched sample of youth attending the program after the pandemic. Methods : Participants were 226 school aged adolescents (13-18 years; M age = 15.89, SD = 1.46) enrolled in an IIPT before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients admitted before March 2020 (pre-pandemic group; n = 113) were compared to an age- and gender-matched group of patients who were admitted to the IIPT from November 2021 to November 2023 (post-pandemic group = 113). Upon admission to the program, participants completed validated measures of internalizing symptoms and functional disability. They also completed structured questions related to pain and school history. Results : Significantly more patients in the post-pandemic group were attending school through online and home-schooling options ( p p p p Conclusions : The findings highlight how the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to sustained changes in the way adolescents with chronic pain attend school, with implications for increased functional disability and school dropout among this vulnerable population

Attendance · Chronic pain · Pandemic · School refusal · Support group · Young adult · Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation · Occupational Health and Performance · Youth Substance Use and School Attendance

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