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Clinical hypnosis with children: first steps toward empirical support
1Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269-1020, USA.
Insights
Clinical hypnosis shows promise for reducing children's acute pain, distress, and enuresis. However, current interventions lack the detailed treatment manuals required to be considered empirically supported therapies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Behavioral Medicine
- Clinical Hypnosis Research
Background:
- Clinical hypnosis is increasingly explored for pediatric applications.
- Evidence suggests potential benefits in managing specific childhood conditions.
- The need for rigorous therapeutic standards is paramount in child psychology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review controlled studies on the efficacy of clinical hypnosis in children.
- To assess current interventions against empirically supported therapies (EST) criteria.
- To identify limitations in the existing research literature.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of controlled studies involving pediatric hypnosis.
- Analysis of intervention outcomes for acute pain, chemotherapy distress, and enuresis.
- Evaluation of studies based on EST guidelines, focusing on treatment specification.
Main Results:
- Promising findings were observed for reducing acute pain, chemotherapy-related distress, and enuresis.
- No current child hypnosis interventions meet the strict criteria for EST.
- A significant limitation identified is the absence of detailed treatment manuals.
Conclusions:
- Clinical hypnosis demonstrates potential efficacy in pediatric populations.
- Further research requires standardized treatment protocols for validation.
- Enhancing methodological rigor is crucial for establishing hypnosis as an EST for children.
Abstract:
A review of controlled studies on the efficacy of clinical hypnosis with children reveals promising findings, particularly for reduction of acute pain, chemotherapy-related distress, and enuresis. However, no child hypnosis interventions currently qualify as "efficacious" according to criteria for empirically supported therapies (EST). A major limitation of the existing literature relative to EST guidelines is the lack of treatment specification via a manual or its equivalent.
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