A Randomized Trial Testing a Body-Focused Exposure Treatment of Functional Abdominal Pain in Children.
Nancy L Zucker, Jane Pendergast, Alannah Rivera-Cancel et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized clinical trial compared two 10-week interventions for functional abdominal pain in 107 parent-child dyads, with children aged 5–9 years. Feeling and Body Investigators used playful attention to bodily sensations and exposure strategies; Caregivers in Action emphasized distraction. Both groups had significant reductions in pain intensity, frequency, duration, and interference, and improvements in negative affect and pain-related distress (all P < 0.01). Neither intervention was shown to be superior. More than 90% of parents in both treatment groups reported that the intervention helped them manage their child’s symptoms.
Key findings
- Both interventions reduced pain intensity, frequency, duration, and interference, with all within-group changes reported at P < 0.01.
- Negative affect and pain-related distress improved in both groups (all P < 0.01).
- The trial did not show either intervention to be superior to the other.
- Over 90% of parents reported that treatment helped them manage their child’s symptoms.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that young children with functional abdominal pain may benefit from structured interventions that differ in how they direct attention to pain. Improvement with both an exposure-oriented approach and a distraction-focused approach broadens the evidence base for psychological care, while the absence of demonstrated superiority means the trial does not establish one approach as preferable.
What to keep in mind
The abstract reports no significant difference between interventions, so it does not establish comparative superiority. Outcomes were based on child and parent reports.