Psychological treatments for pediatric headache
1Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Georg-Elias-Müller Institute of Psychology, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. bkroene@uni-goettingen.de
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
|March 8, 2011
Summary
Psychological therapies effectively reduce suffering and disability from headache in children and adolescents. These treatments improve pain and quality of life for about 70% of young patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Clinical Psychology
- Pain Management
Background:
- Headache is a prevalent issue in children and adolescents, causing significant suffering and disability.
- Current medical treatments primarily focus on abortive pharmacological agents.
- Psychological therapies offer a preventive approach by modifying cognitive-behavioral factors influencing pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the efficacy of psychological therapies for pediatric headache.
- To assess the impact of these therapies on pain and quality of life.
Main Methods:
- Evaluation of randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses.
- Focus on relaxation training, biofeedback, and multimodal cognitive-behavioral therapy.
- Consideration of emerging therapies like hypnosis and acceptance and commitment therapy.
Main Results:
- Psychological therapies demonstrate significant efficacy in treating pediatric headache.
- Clinically relevant improvement is observed in approximately 70% of treated children at follow-up.
- Evidence supports the effectiveness of established psychological interventions.
Conclusions:
- Psychological therapies are effective for pediatric headache, improving patient outcomes.
- Future research should explore mechanisms of change and broader quality of life effects.
- Established and emerging psychological interventions offer promising avenues for managing pediatric headache.
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