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Online psychological treatment for pediatric recurrent pain: a randomized evaluation
Carrie L Hicks1, Carl L von Baeyer, Patrick J McGrath
1Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Mental Health Services-Victoria Square, Box 3003, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada S6V 6G1. carrie.hicks@shaw.ca
Objective:
To evaluate the efficacy of a distance treatment delivered through Internet and telephone for pediatric recurrent pain.
Methods:
Forty-seven participants (9-16 years of age) were randomly assigned to either an Internet-based treatment or a standard medical care waitlist. Treatment employed a Web-based manual for children and parents with weekly therapist contact by telephone or e-mail. At 1- and 3-month follow-ups, participants were assessed on the outcome variables of pain and quality of life. A 50% reduction in diary pain scores was considered clinically significant.
Results:
Significant between-group differences were found: 71 and 72% of the treatment group achieved clinically significant improvement at the 1- and 3-month follow-ups, respectively, whereas only 19 and 14% of the control group achieved the criterion. No significant differences were found on the quality of life variable.
Conclusions:
Distance methods have considerable potential for making effective treatments more accessible with lower associated costs.