University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) News / The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
16-04-2025
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Psycho-social therapies most effective treatments for unexplained abdominal pain in children, new research finds

This report details a groundbreaking systematic review led by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health on April 16, 2025. The study represents the first guidelines of its kind, analyzing data from 91 research trials to evaluate treatments for “unexplained abdominal pain” (functional abdominal pain disorders) in children.

The researchers found that psycho-social interventions were significantly more effective than pharmacological treatments. Specifically, hypnotherapy emerged as a leading treatment option. According to the findings, “hypnotherapy is 68% more successful and CBT [Cognitive Behavioural Therapy] 35% more successful than taking no action.” In contrast, drug-based treatments (such as antidepressants or antispasmodics) showed a “very low level of certainty for treatment success.”

The report highlights the potential for this research to shift clinical practice globally. Morris Gordon, a Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine at UCLan, stated:

“We have found that hypnotherapy and CBT have the best evidence of providing successful treatment and to reduce pain. Other therapies have evidence of an effect, but due to systematic concerns with the findings, no conclusions can be drawn at the moment.”

The study emphasizes that these findings should serve as guidance for healthcare professionals to facilitate shared decision-making with children and their caregivers, moving away from medication as a primary solution for functional abdominal pain.