By the adolescent years, teenagers will have some experience with pain and will likely have a reasonable understanding of the mechanism of pain. They may even know how their emotional state influences the level of pain they feel or how their pain can best be relieved.
Teenagers can use most of the self-reporting pain assessment tools. These tools will often provide a detailed description of the type, intensity, and location of the pain as well as the level of disability caused by pain. Also, teenagers may have learned negative reactions to pain. Though they may be more capable of expressing the location, intensity, and type of pain than younger children, teenagers may also choose not to express it.
A teenager's behaviour, perhaps more than that of younger children, can be greatly influenced by the presence of her peers and parents. Often a private interview is necessary to get a more accurate picture of the patient's pain.