Editors: Emily F. Law, Ph.D.; Emma Fisher, Ph.D.

Date: July, 2019

Empirical review status: Insufficient Evidence: Existing meta-analyses are not of sufficient quality.

Summary of sample characteristics across studies:

Variable	Example
Child Age	Across trials, there was variability in the age range of children: Toddler to Adolescence (0-14 years) (Seid et al., 2010) Elementary to Adolescence (5-16 years) (Nansel et al., 2012; Wade et al., 2005; Wade et al., 2006) Adolescence (11-18 years) (Sahler et al., 2013; Wade et al., 2011)
Child Sex	All trials enrolled both male and female children
Parent Sex	Three studies enrolled only mothers (Sahler et al., 2002; Sahler et al., 2005; Sahler et al., 2013). The remaining studies enrolled >90% mothers (e.g., Seid et al., 2010; Wade et al., 2005).
Family Ethnicity/Race	The majority of trials enrolled primarily Caucasian/Non-Hispanic families. In two trials, participants were primarily Hispanic (Sahler et al., 2013; Seid et al., 2010).
Therapist type	In the majority of trials, treatment was delivered by master’s level therapists or Ph.D. students.
Presenting problem	Asthma: Seid et al., 2010 Cancer: Sahler et al., 2002; Sahler et al., 2005; Sahler et al., 2013 Diabetes: Nansel et al., 2012 Heart Disease: McCusker et al., 2010 Traumatic Brain Injury: Wade et al., 2005; Wade et al., 2006; Wade et al., 2011
Socioeconomic status	In the majority of trials, average socioeconomic status of families was middle to upper class. In a few trials, families were from predominantly lower socioeconomic backgrounds (e.g., Nansel et al., 2012; Sahler et al., 2013; Seid et al., 2010)
Language	In two trials, the intervention was delivered in English and Spanish (Sahler et al., 2005; Sahler et al., 2013; Seid et al., 2010). In all other trials the intervention was delivered in English.

 

Brief summary of treatment:

• Basic premise: Adaptation to the child’s chronic medical condition is influenced by the interaction between social/environmental, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional factors.
• Essence of therapy: Cognitive-behavioral therapy includes a range of techniques that promote identifying, challenging and modifying maladaptive or negative thoughts and behaviors that interfere with adjustment to and management of the child’s medical condition.
• Length: Treatment duration for children: 0-12 hours. Treatment duration for parents: 2-16 hours.

 

Treatment resources:

Treatment Manual Available For Purchase
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents (Palermo, 2012)

Self-Help Books
Managing Your Child’s Chronic Pain (Palermo & Law, 2015)
When Your Child Hurts: Effective Strategies to Increase Comfort, Reduce Stress, and Break the Cycle of Chronic Pain (Coakley, 2016)

Worksheets/Handouts
See Worksheets/Handouts in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents (Palermo, 2012)

 

Key review articles

1. Law, E., Fisher, E., Eccleston, C., & Palermo, T. M. (2019). Psychological interventions for parents of children and adolescents with chronic illness. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 3, CD009660.
2. Law, E.F., Fisher, E., Fales, J., Noel, M., & Eccleston, C. (2014). Systematic review and meta-analysis of parent and family-based interventions for children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions. Journal of Pediatric Psychology 39(8), 866-886.
3. Sansom-Daly, U. M., Peate, M., Wakefield, C. E., Bryant, R. A., & Cohn, R. J. (2012). A systematic review of psychological interventions for adolescents and young adults living with chronic illness. Health Psychology, 31(3), 380.

 

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