A review and meta-analysis of computerized cognitive behaviour therapy for the treatment of pain in children and adolescents

Background Chronic pain is relatively common in children and adolescents. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective for treating pain in this age group. This paper aims to review the literature on the use of computerized cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) with children and adolescents with pain. Methods Three databases, Pubmed (including Medline), Embase and PsychInfo, were searched and papers were identified using specific inclusion criteria. Results Four studies met the inclusion criteria, all of which indicated beneficial results of using cCBT, with those who completed cCBT being more likely to experience at least a 50% post‐treatment reduction in symptoms than those in a control group. A meta‐analysis suggested a medium effect size of −0.41 for reduced pain intensity post treatment for cCBT compared with the control groups. A mean odds ratio of 6.03 was found for achieving a clinically significant reduction in pain in the cCBT group compared with the control groups. Conclusion This review tentatively suggests potential for using cCBT for pain in children and adolescents. However, there is only a small body of research exploring this relationship at present, and so further research is needed before any solid conclusions can be drawn.