Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 31, 2025
Determining Pain Detection and Tolerance Thresholds Using an Integrated, Multi-Modal Pain Task Battery
Published on: April 14, 2016
Nonpharmacological Interventions Addressing Pain, Sleep, and Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents with Primary
Susanne Hwiid Klausen1, Gitte Rønde1, Birte Tornøe2
1Department of Pediatrics, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark.
Insights
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) shows promise in reducing headache pain and improving coping in children and adolescents. However, more research is needed to identify a single effective intervention addressing pain, sleep, quality of life, and coping comprehensively.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Behavioral Medicine
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Primary headache in children and adolescents can lead to chronic symptoms and reduced quality of life (Qol).
- Sleep disturbances are more prevalent in this population compared to healthy peers.
- Effective, multifactorial treatment approaches are needed, with nonpharmacological interventions showing potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions for primary headache in children and adolescents.
- To identify useful strategies based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Main Methods:
- Searched Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and ClinicalTrials.gov for RCTs.
- Included 13 RCTs (15 articles) assessing pain, sleep, Qol, and coping.
- Assessed study quality using CONSORT criteria.
Main Results:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), encompassing pain education, sleep, coping, and stress management, effectively reduced headache and pain over time.
- Fifteen studies assessed pain, three assessed sleep, six assessed Qol, and eleven assessed coping.
Conclusions:
- Components of CBT interventions were identified as useful strategies.
- A single, comprehensive intervention for pain, sleep, Qol, and coping was not identified, partly due to infrequent assessment of sleep.
- Future interventions should be theory-driven CBT, tailored to clinical settings and resources, to build a stronger evidence base.
Purpose:
Children and adolescents with primary headache are at risk of persistent somatic symptoms and reduced quality of life (Qol) due to pain and pain-related behaviors, such as avoiding school and activities. Sleep is essential to health, and children and adolescents with primary headaches have more sleep complaints than do healthy controls. A treatment approach that addresses multifactorial causes is likely important. Nonpharmacological interventions seem promising. However, knowledge about effective strategies is limited. The objective of this review is to assess the effect of nonpharmacological interventions in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) among children and adolescents with primary headache in order to identify useful strategies.
Patients And Methods:
Outcome measures are pain, sleep, Qol, and coping versus no intervention or control intervention. Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched for eligible trials. ClinicalTrials.gov. was searched for ongoing trials. Initial searches yielded 2588 publications. After initial screening and subsequent full-text review and quality assessment, 13 RCTs reported in 15 articles were selected for review. All reviewers independently assessed study quality using the CONSORT criteria for nonpharmacological interventions.
Results:
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), including education on pain-related topics, sleep, coping, and stress management, is an effective strategy for reducing headache and pain within groups over time. Fifteen studies assessed pain, 3 studies assessed sleep, 6 studies assessed Qol, and 11 studies assessed coping.
Conclusion:
Strategies identified as useful were parts of CBT interventions. However, it was not possible to identify a single effective intervention addressing pain, sleep, Qol, and coping in children and adolescents with headache, primarily because sleep was infrequently addressed. Various aspects of Qol and coping strategies were assessed, rendering comparison difficult. Strategies for future interventions should include descriptions of theory-driven CBT interventions, depending on clinical setting and based on local resources, to promote a solid evidence base for nonpharmacological interventions.
More Related Videos
10:393D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
06:28Biomechanical Changes Related to Low Back Pain: An Innovative Tool for Movement Pattern Assessment and Treatment Evaluation in Rehabilitation
Published on: December 13, 2024
Related Concept Videos
01:24Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...
01:24Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
01:25Analgesia and Pain Management
01:19Management of Insomnia