Increasing self-efficacy – the effectiveness of a pain management programme for children and parents

Abstract

Background: CBT-based pain management groups have been well documented in the literature to effect functional changes in children and adolescents. Few, however, have examined their capacity to increase a parent's perceived ability to manage their child's pain. This is important when considering the emotional and practical influences that parents have upon their children. This study reviews the effectiveness of a brief pain management group comprised of simultaneous parent and child sessions on their perceived ability to cope with pain. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a group programme designed to improve a family's self efficacy around coping with pain. It was hoped that school attendance would also improve. Methods: Parents and children attended three intervention sessions and one 6-week follow-up. Sessions focused on cognitive-behavioural pain management techniques, associated mood management and increasing parental competence to manage pain related behaviour. Pre, Post and Follow Up data was collected from 30 patients over three groups. A Coping VAS and the Paediatric Quality of Life Scale (PEDS-QOL) were used to assess the effectiveness of the group intervention. Results: Following intervention, there was a significant increase in the parents' and child's perceived ability to cope with pain (t(17)=2.587, p