AUTHOR=Forgeron Paula A. , Dick Bruce D. , Chambers Christine , Cohen Janice , Lamontagne Christine , Finley Gordon Allen 

TITLE=Are They Still Friends? Friendship Stability of Adolescents With Chronic Pain: 1-Year Follow-Up

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pain Research

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2021

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pain-research/articles/10.3389/fpain.2021.767236

DOI=10.3389/fpain.2021.767236

ISSN=2673-561X

ABSTRACT=Most adolescents identify their best friend as their main source of social support but adolescents with chronic pain report loss of friendships due to pain. Friendships protect against loneliness and depression yet adolescents with pain experience increased levels of loneliness and depression compared to peers. This longitudinal study examines friendship stability of dyads with an adolescent with chronic pain compared to non-pain friendship dyads as well as the factors contributing to friendship breakup. Eighty-three participants from 61 same-sex friendship dyads across three sites participated in a one-year follow up survey designed to capture friendship features, indices of social-emotional well-being, pain characteristics, and friendship stability. Chi square, repeated measures ANOVA, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Dyads that included an adolescent with chronic pain experienced higher rates of friendship breakup. Shorter length of friendship and having chronic pain predicted friendship breakup at time 2. Adolescents with chronic pain continue to experience worse scores on indices of social emotional well-being that are not predicted by friendship breakup. Understanding what contributes to positive long-term friendships for those with pain may inform strategies to maintain and improve friendships for those with pain who experience social challenges.