Primary Care Perspectives: Psychology-based Interventions Help Kids with Chronic Pain - Episode 124

Summary: One in 4 children will have an episode of chronic pain before they reach adulthood, and kids with chronic pain are 3 times as likely to suffer anxiety or depression. How can primary care pediatricians help de-stigmatize the role of psychology in treatment for chronic pain? Jessica Collins, PsyD, and Christina Holbein, PhD, psychologists who run Comfort Ability workshops at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for kids with chronic pain, discuss: common diagnoses that come with chronic pain and discomfort; evidence-based interventions for chronic pain, including the role of cognitive behavioral therapy; differences in reporting of pain and discomfort based on culture and race, and how language barriers affect reporting; how to recognize and address bias in pain management referrals and suggestions for how to help families overcome barriers to resources; a review of CHOP resources for chronic pain, including Comfort Ability; and more.