Optimizing psychological treatments for pediatric chronic pain to enhance outcomes, availability, and accessibility

Abstract

Although the evidence-base for psychological treatments for pediatric chronic pain (CP) is promising, the rigor and quality of existing studies remains variable and psychological treatments for pediatric CP are often inaccessible to youth that may benefit. Persistence in the rates and devastating impact of chronic pain for children and adolescents suggests a need to improve both the quality and availability of psychological treatments for pediatric CP. This brief review aims to provide an overview of the primary developmentally tailored, evidence-based, psychological treatments for pediatric CP (e.g. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). We also highlight two requisite directions for future research and program development efforts on psychological treatments for pediatric CP: 1) optimizing and tailoring treatments for real world treatment settings in partnership with end users (i.e. youth, providers) and 2) addressing barriers at multiple levels which impact both the availability and accessibility of evidence-based psychological treatments for CP.