# Genetic and Environmental Origins of the Development of Pain in Children

> **NIH NIH R01** · ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS · 2022 · $633,050

## Abstract

Project Summary
Pediatric chronic pain is a common but understudied health problem, with prevalence increasing from
childhood to adolescence, particularly among girls. Moreover, prevalence rates have increased over the past
20 years for unknown reasons. Despite the high prevalence and enduring impact, we know little about its
etiology and developmental progression. The literature documents associations between exposure to early
adversity and chronic pain among adults, but little is known about the early developmental time course, key
mechanisms, and social resilience that can mitigate risk in youth. Critical questions need to be addressed
before efforts at prevention and intervention can have maximum impact. To that end, the proposed competing
continuation project focuses on four aims: identify the genetic and environmental influences on growth in pain
across childhood and adolescence (Aim1); examine the role of stress exposure in the development of
children's chronic pain (Aim 2); and evaluate two potential mechanisms linking stress and pain, problems with
emotion regulation (Aim 3), and epigenetics (Aim 4). Under a recalibration model, we also explore social
resilience in adolescence as a buffer of these risk processes. To accomplish our aims, we propose to conduct
intensive longitudinal follow-up assessments (at 14, 15, and 16 years of age) of a birth-records-based
community sample of 350 pairs of twins who are diverse in ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Stress,
emotion regulation, and recurring pain during early and middle childhood have already been well
characterized. Assessments during adolescence will take a multi-method approach that includes clinical and
diary assessments of pain frequency, intensity, duration; objective, diary, and questionnaire assessments of
emotion regulation, stress, and social resilience; and objective assessments of epigenetics. Our genetically
informed developmental approach to understanding the etiology and mechanisms of pain in youth is critical to
determining when benign chronic pain is clinically significant and identifying key targets for intervention efforts
to prevent the development of and promote recovery from chronic pain among youth.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10365545
- **Project number:** 2R01HD086085-06
- **Recipient organization:** ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Mary Colleen Davis
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $633,050
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10365545

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10365545, Genetic and Environmental Origins of the Development of Pain in Children (2R01HD086085-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10365545. Licensed CC0.

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