Posted on December 20, 2009

Adolescent pain comes in a variety of forms. Each teen believes that his or her angst is unique and no one understands their predicament. In reality, some are truly experiencing pain and recent research suggests that insecurity leads to more intense pain and greater depression.

A recent release in Science Daily examines this study, which was completed by researchers from the Université de Montréal, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and McGill University.

According to findings from this study, insecure adolescents experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches, abdominal pain and joint pain. Such teens are also more likely to be depressed than peers with secure attachments.

“Although previous studies in adults found that an individual’s security level was influenced by painful experiences, it was not clear why relationship security should be related to pain,” says Dr. Isabelle Tremblay, a researcher at the Université de Montréal and its affiliated Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center.

“We found that adolescents with insecure relationships tend to be more ‘alarmist’ about their pain symptoms; they have a tendency to amplify the degree of threat or severity of their pain. This amplification leads to more intense pain and more severe depressive symptoms.”

Researchers believe it is possible that individuals who have insecure relationships may perceive the world as more threatening or even more stressful. This view manifests itself into physical symptoms. At the same time, individuals who feel insecure may also express more intense distress in an effort to elicit support from their peers.

It is important to note that adolescents have different health and mental needs than adults and interpersonal factors can have a significant impact in the treatment of pain and depression for adolescents. While treatment does not currently visit such factors, a change could improve the overall outcome of the adolescent patient.