Topical Review: Getting into the head of youth with chronic pain: how theory of mind deficits may relate to the development and maintenance of pediatric pain.

Objective: Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, and mental states of others and is critical for effective social and psychological functioning. ToM deficits have been associated with various psychological disorders and identified in adult pain populations. For youth with chronic pain, ToM deficits may underlie the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to their experience of pain, but this remains poorly understood.

Methods: This topical review explored the extant literature in the areas of ToM and chronic pain, particularly for pediatric populations, with respect to biological, psychological, and social elements of the biopsychosocial model of pain.

Results: ToM deficits may be present alongside previously identified biological, psychological, and social correlates of pediatric pain, as a vulnerability, mechanism, and/or consequence. Biologically, ToM deficits may relate to cortisol abnormalities and neurobiological substrates of pain processing. Psychologically, ToM deficits may stem from pain-focused cognitions, thus impacting relationships and fueling impairment. Socially, chronic pain may preclude normative development of ToM abilities through social withdrawal, thereby exacerbating the experience of pain.

Conclusion: Taken together, ToM deficits may be associated with increased risk for the development and/or maintenance of pediatric chronic pain, and pediatric chronic pain may similarly confer risk for ToM deficits. Future research should investigate the nature of ToM abilities in youth with chronic pain to test these hypotheses and ultimately inform ToM-focused and pain-based interventions, as this ability has been demonstrated to be modifiable.