Evaluation of an intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment based on acceptance and commitment therapy for adolescents with chronic pain and their parents: A nonrandomized clinical trial

Kemani, Mike; Kanstrup, Marie; Jordan, Abbie; Caes, Line; Gauntlett-Gilbert, Jeremy

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. Objective Parental factors are central in the development and maintenance of chronic pain in youths. Only a handful of studies have investigated the impact of psychological treatments for pediatric chronic pain on parental factors, and the relationships between changes in parental and adolescent factors. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of an intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) program based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for adolescents with chronic pain, on adolescent and parental variables, and the relationship between parental psychological flexibility and adolescent pain acceptance. Methods Adolescents (N ¼ 164) with chronic pain were included, with a mean age of 15.5 years, and completed the 3-week treatment with an accompanying parent (N ¼ 164). Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze change over time (from pretreatment to 3-month follow-up) on parent (depression, health-related quality of life and parent psychological flexibility) and adolescent (physical, social and emotional functioning, and adolescent pain acceptance) variables. Additionally, linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the relationship between parent psychological flexibility and adolescent pain acceptance. Results Results illustrated significant improvements over time in depressive symptoms and levels of psychological flexibility in parents. Excluding social development, adolescents improved significantly in all assessed aspects of functioning and pain acceptance. Additionally, changes in parent psychological flexibility were significantly associated with changes in adolescent pain acceptance. Conclusions Results indicated that treatment had positive effects for parents and adolescents, and a significant positive relationship between changes in parent psychological flexibility and adolescent pain acceptance was found.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 25, 2018
• Online Publication Date: May 17, 2018
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Apr 26, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: May 17, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Pediatric Psychology
• Print ISSN: 0146-8693
• Electronic ISSN: 1465-735X
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 981-994
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsy031
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/859442
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsy031
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Pediatric Psychology following peer review. The version of record [Kemani, M., Kanstrup, M., Jordan, A., Caes, L. and Gauntlett-Gilbert, J. (2018) Evaluation of an intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for adolescents with chronic pain and their parents: A non-randomized clinical trial. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. ISSN 0146-8693] is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsy031.
• Contract Date: Apr 26, 2018