ABSTRACT
Pediatric chronic pain is a significant worldwide public health concern with potentially long-lasting complications that can persist into adulthood. The existing body of research clearly demonstrates the efficacy and necessity of including psychological interventions in comprehensive pediatric chronic pain treatment plans. Effective interventions with this population are anchored in the biopsychosocial model of pain (as opposed to the biomedical model), which helps to create a conceptual framework within which patients and families can understand how psychological interventions promote recovery. Treatment must compensate for individual differences such as psychological comorbidities, family-based influences, school environments, developmental factors, functional disability, and underlying pathophysiology of pain. The patient’s and family’s understanding of the pain experience is key to treatment and, as such, psychoeducation is a fundamental component of most established interventions for pediatric pain. Based on individual patient need, psychologists teach a broad set of skills and strategies spanning the cognitive, behavioral, and biobehavioral domains. Effective treatment delivery methods include individual therapy, family therapy, parent training, group therapy, inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs, telehealth, and internet-based intervention. Coordination of care with other disciplines (e.g., physical therapists, medical providers) is vital.
