597: School-based strategies and resources to support youth with chronic pain: A scoping review

Topic: Education, Societal Impact, and Others
Subtopic: Education

Background and Aims: Chronic pain in youth is a complex issue, with up to a quarter of students estimated to be affected¹. Chronic pain can limit students’ ability to engage academically and socially at school, with potential long-term consequences for wellbeing, educational attainment, and future opportunities¹˒². Schools are recognised as key settings for supporting this population³. However, there remains a lack of standardised school-based support strategies and accessible resources to guide school staff in responding to chronic pain⁴˒⁵. This scoping review aimed to synthesise strategies and resources used to support youth with chronic pain in school and identify gaps to inform future development.

Methods: Relevant studies and resources were identified by a call out to three international pain networks (7/11/25), alongside searching eight academic databases (12/11/25), two theses collections (12/11/25), and publicly available websites (10/12/25). English-language sources describing school-based support strategies or resources for youth aged 5–18 years with chronic pain were included. Screening and ten percent of data extraction were conducted in duplicate. Data were extracted on citation details, source characteristics, population, and pain context. An inductive content analysis was performed on published resources, and findings were mapped in tabular form and a narrative summary.

Results: The review identified a diverse range of international information sources, including empirical studies, grey literature, opinion pieces, and practice-based resources describing school-based support strategies for youth with chronic pain. Included sources varied widely in the conditions addressed, resource requirements, formats, and functions (e.g. academic adjustments, attendance support, symptom management, etc.) of the supports described. Considerable heterogeneity was also observed in the scope, evidentiary underpinning, and level of detail provided. Many sources offered limited detail regarding implementation and feasibility. Identified published resources that underwent inductive content analysis were collated into an interactive table to support access to available resources.

Conclusions: This review and synthesis of existing strategies and resources used to support youth with chronic pain at school highlights the lack of clear implementation guidelines available to school staff, in addition to the considerable heterogeneity found in scope and credibility of the resources and strategies. The interactive table created to support access to available resources provides healthcare professionals, school staff, youth experiencing chronic pain, and their families and carers with a way to identify and compare strategies aimed at improving school engagement, participation, and a sense of belonging for this population.

References: 1. Lambarth A, Katsoulis M, Ju C, Warwick A, Takhar R, Dale C, et al. Prevalence of chronic pain or analgesic use in children and young people and its long-term impact on substance misuse, mental illness, and prescription opioid use: a retrospective longitudinal cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 2023;35:100763.
2. Murray CB, Groenewald CB, de la Vega R, Palermo TM. Long-term impact of adolescent chronic pain on young adult educational, vocational, and social outcomes. Pain. 2020;161(2):439-45.
3. Guddal, M.H., Johansen, S., Riiser, K. et al. Co-creating support for adolescents with long-lasting pain: findings from workshops with adolescents, parents, and professionals. BMC Health Serv Res 25, 1516 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13654-0
4. Logan DE, Curran JA. Adolescent chronic pain problems in the school setting: exploring the experiences and beliefs of selected school personnel through focus group methodology. J Adolesc Health. 2005;37(4):281-8.
5. Solé E, Castarlenas E, Sánchez-Rodríguez E, Galán S, de la Vega R, Jensen MP, et al. Chronic Pain in the School Setting: The Teachers' Point of View. J Sch Health. 2018;88(1):65-73.

Presenting Author: Ms Alice Farmer
Submitting Author: Alice Farmer

Senior Author: Dr Carolyn Berryman

IASP 2026 Global Year theme of Neuropathic Pain: No

• Ms Grace Ferencz: B(Hons) - Adelaide University
• Dr Ajit Kaur: PhD - Adelaide University
• Mr Carlos Maya-Koch: B(Hons) - Adelaide University
• Dr Ashley Grant: PhD - Adelaide University
• Prof Ian Gwilt: PhD - Adelaide University
• Prof Lorimer Moseley: PhD - Adelaide University
• Dr Kate Obst: PhD - Women's and Children's Hospital
• Dr Carolyn Berryman: PhD - Adelaide University