The physical and psychosocial predictors of adolescents' recovery from oral surgery.

The purpose of this study was to expand medical models of recovery from surgery in adolescents. Sixty-seven adolescents undergoing third molar surgery and their parents participated. Adolescents' negative affectivity, expectancies about recovery, coping styles, and parents' anticipated encouragement of illness behavior were assessed preoperatively. Extent of surgery was assessed by the oral surgeon. Outcome measures included mouth opening, disability, and pain. Extent of surgery did not predict recovery. After controlling for extent of surgery, the psychosocial parameters accounted for an additional 19% of the variance in mouth opening and 21% of the variance in disability. Adolescents' expectancies about recovery and parents' anticipated "pampering" responses predicted mouth opening. Adolescents' expectancies predicted disability. Expectancies about recovery and parental encouragement of illness behavior add predictive power to models of adolescents' recovery from surgery. Limitations of the study, future research directions, and clinical implications are discussed.