A Pilot Study of Mindfulness Meditation for Pediatric Chronic Pain
Lynn C Waelde, Amanda Feinstein, Rashmi Bhandari, Anya Griffin, Isabel Yoon, Brenda Golianu
Children April 26, 2017 DOI: 10.3390/children4050032 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot clinical trial Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 13–17 years with chronic pain |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 6-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation did not significantly change pain intensity or depression but improved functional disability and reduced parents' worry about their child's pain. |
Abstract
Despite advances in psychological interventions for pediatric chronic pain, there has been little research examining mindfulness meditation for these conditions. This study presents data from a pilot clinical trial of a six-week manualized mindfulness meditation intervention offered to 20 adolescents aged 13–17 years. Measures of pain intensity, functional disability, depression and parent worry about their child’s pain were obtained at baseline and post-treatment. Results indicated no significant changes in pain or depression, however functional disability and frequency of pain functioning complaints improved with small effect sizes. Parents’ worry about child’s pain significantly decreased with a large effect size. Participants rated intervention components positively and most teens suggested that the number of sessions be increased. Three case examples illustrate mindfulness meditation effects and precautions. Mindfulness meditation shows promise as a feasible and acceptable intervention for youth with chronic pain. Future research should optimize intervention components and determine treatment efficacy.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Mindful awareness and resilience skills for adolescents (MARS-A): a mixed-methods study of a mindfulness-based intervention for a heterogeneous adolescent clinical population. International journal of adolescent medicine and health February 1, 2024
- Living With Physical Health Conditions: A Systematic Review of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Children, Adolescents, and Their Parents. Journal of pediatric psychology April 1, 2023
- The implementation of an online mindfulness-based program for pediatric patients at a tertiary hospital in South America: a feasibility study protocol. Pilot and Feasibility Studies September 30, 2022
- A Pilot Study of a Meditation and Mindfulness Program with Detained Juveniles: An Adaptation of Inner Resources for Teens (IRT) Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice 2020
- Can the Mindful Awareness and Resilience Skills for Adolescents (MARS-A) Program Be Provided Online? Voices from the Youth. Children August 28, 2018
and 2 more in the library
Cites 6
- Randomized Controlled Trial of Inner Resources Meditation for Family Dementia Caregivers. Journal of Clinical Psychology December 2017
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Adolescents with Functional Somatic Syndromes: A Pilot Cohort Study. The Journal of Pediatrics April 2017
- Meditation with yoga, group therapy with hypnosis, and psychoeducation for long-term depressed mood: a randomized pilot trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology July 2008
- A pilot randomized control trial investigating the effect of mindfulness practice on pain tolerance, psychological well-being, and physiological activity. Journal of Psychosomatic Research March 2007
- The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. Journal of Behavioral Medicine June 1985
and 1 more in the library