I am a
Home I AM A Search Login

Papers of the Week


Papers: 2 May 2020 - 8 May 2020

RESEARCH TYPE:
Psychology


Human Studies


2020 May 04


Pain Manag

SUPER scale to the rescue: reconciling what parents say and what they communicate during their child’s pain.

Authors

Moline RL, Constantin KL, Gauthier MN, Powell DM, McMurtry MC
Pain Manag. 2020 May 04.
PMID: 32362183.

Abstract

Fully illuminating mechanisms relating parent behaviors to child pain require examining both verbal and nonverbal communication. We conducted a multimethod investigation into parent nonverbal communication and physiology, and investigated the psychometric properties of the Scheme for Understanding Parent Emotive Responses Scale to assess parent nonverbals accompanying reassurance and distraction. 23 children (7-12 years) completed the cold pressor task with their parent (predominately mothers). Parent heart rate and heart rate variability were monitored and assessed. The Scheme for Understanding Parent Emotive Responses Scale coding of parent nonverbal behaviors (i.e., vocal cues, facial expressions, posture) was used to detect levels of fear, warmth, disengagement and humor. : Preliminary evidence for the psychometric properties of the scale are offered. Parent reassurance was associated with more fear, less warmth and less humor compared with distraction.