Self-help interventions for young people with persistent physical symptoms: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Psychology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Persistent physical symptoms are common in young people, leading to significant social, psychological, and economic challenges.
• There is a need for accessible interventions suitable for non-specialized settings to address these symptoms in youth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of self-help interventions for young people with persistent physical symptoms.
• To describe the therapeutic approaches and content of these interventions.
• To examine their effects on symptom burden and psychosocial outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of RCTs using databases like PubMed, Cochrane Central, Embase, and PsycINFO.
• Inclusion of minimal contact self-help interventions for young people with persistent physical symptoms.
• Independent data extraction and quality assessment by two reviewers, followed by narrative synthesis.

Main Results:

• Eleven studies on self-help interventions for young people were identified, with generally low methodological quality.
• Participants presented with symptoms including fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, and musculoskeletal or multi-site pain.
• Therapeutic approaches included cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation, hypnotherapy, and written self-disclosure; evidence for effectiveness in reducing symptom burden was weak and not linked to specific approaches.

Conclusions:

• Existing self-help interventions for young people with persistent physical symptoms are diverse but lack robust evidence of efficacy.
• Further high-quality research is required to evaluate the clinical utility of these interventions, using standardized outcome measures.