Daily Peer Victimization Experiences of Adolescents with and without Chronic Pain: Associations with Mood, Sleep, Pain, and Activity Limitations.

This study aims to (1) examine the temporal influence of peer victimization on mood, sleep quality, pain, and activity limitations in clinical and community samples of youth, and (2) test mood and sleep as mediators of peer victimization-pain pathways. One hundred fifty-six adolescents (n=74 chronic pain group) completed a week of online diary monitoring assessing their daily peer victimization experiences, negative mood, sleep quality, pain intensity, and pain-related activity limitations. In multilevel models controlling for group status, person-mean peer victimization (averaged across days) significantly predicted worse mood, pain, and activity limitations (all ps < .01) while daily victimization predicted worse mood (p < .05). Results from within-person mediation indicated a significant indirect effect of daily peer victimization on next-day activity limitations, through daily negative mood. Results from between-person mediation indicated that negative mood significantly mediated the relation between peer victimization and pain and the relation between peer victimization and activity limitations. Peer victimization is associated with negative health indicators in clinical and community samples of youth and may exert its influence on pain and pain-related activity limitations through negative mood. PERSPECTIVE: This article examines the temporal influence of peer victimization on pain in adolescents with and without chronic pain, and examines mood and sleep quality as mechanisms linking victimization to pain. This information may be useful for pain prevention researchers as well as providers who assess and treat pain in childhood.