Can an increased risk of chronic pain be transmitted from parents to children? Several factors may contribute, including genetics, effects on early development, social learning, and more according to a report in the journal PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).
Amanda L. Stone of Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tenn., and Anna C. Wilson of Oregon Health & Science University, in Portland, Ore., present a conceptual model of transmission of chronic pain, including potential mechanisms and moderating factors. The researchers write, "Such a framework highlights chronic pain as inherently familial and intergenerational, opening up avenues for new models of intervention and prevention that can be family-centered and include at-risk children."
