Internet-delivered Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Pain in Pediatric Acute Recurrent and Chronic Pancreatitis:...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Pain Management
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Pediatric acute recurrent (ARP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) cause significant abdominal pain, burden, and healthcare costs.
• Psychological interventions show promise for other pediatric abdominal pain conditions but haven't been studied for pancreatitis.
• Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) offers a scalable approach to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of internet-delivered CBT for pediatric pancreatitis pain.
• To assess improvements in pain interference, anxiety, depression, activity limitations, and quality of life.
• To compare internet-delivered CBT (WebMAP-CP) against internet-delivered pain education (WebED).

Main Methods:

• A randomized placebo-controlled multicenter trial enrolled 90 adolescents (ages 10-19) with ARP or CP.
• Participants were randomized to WebMAP-CP (n=46) or WebED (n=44).
• Assessments were conducted pre-treatment, and at 3 and 6 months post-treatment.

Main Results:

• High feasibility was demonstrated by strong treatment engagement (over 6/8 modules completed) in both groups.
• Treatment acceptability was significantly higher in the WebMAP-CP group compared to WebED.
• No statistically significant differences were found between groups for pain or health outcomes.

Conclusions:

• This is the first trial assessing internet-delivered CBT for pediatric pancreatitis pain, showing strong feasibility and acceptability.
• Under-enrollment limited the study's statistical power.
• Future research with larger sample sizes is warranted to build upon these findings.