| Recurrent abdominal pain is widely known as one of the most common chronic pain conditions of children and adolescents. Functional gastrointestinal disorders make up the majority of those with abdominal pain and are a set of conditions resulting from complex interactions between physiological and psychological factors. Psychological treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy have been shown to be largely effective for children and adolescents with recurrent abdominal pain. However, barriers to the use of this treatment are related to accessibility, the cost and time commitment of therapy, and the ambivalence of families to pursue psychological therapy. The development of minimal contact interventions has become popular to address these barriers to treatment.;A randomized wait-list controlled pilot study was used to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of the "Gutstrong" intervention. "Gutstrong" is a CD-ROM based cognitive-behavioral intervention that was designed as part of this dissertation to treat teenagers with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Twenty adolescents aged 13-17 attending an abdominal pain specialty clinic were randomly assigned to either the treatment group ("Gutstrong" plus standard medical care) or a wait-list control group (standard medical care only). Participants completed an initial baseline phase, an intervention phase, and an immediate post-intervention follow-up phase. The primary outcome measures included indices of pain and quality of life and secondary measures of mood, stress, and coping. Consumer satisfaction was also considered to obtain feedback about the program. Data available at the time of this writing gave initial support to the "Gutstrong" program as a useful adjunctive treatment to standard medical care. The utility, appeal and cost-effectiveness of this program warrant further evaluation of its efficacy and effectiveness in the future. |
