The children's levels of functioning varied considerably on the quantitative measures, but the evidence from the long, semi-structured interviews (conducted prior to the first Clinic appointment and at 6 months) shows that virtually all were distressed by some level of impairment. Those who had had pain for several years reported that pain had become part of daily life and that they adjusted their lives around it: Many of the children also stated that their unexplained chronic pain, which a series of doctors had not been able to diagnose, had given them a sense of isolation and difference from others, and a sense of powerlessness, that contributed to their distress: