J Clin Sleep Med. 2025 Mar 25. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.11678. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
STUDY OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain and comorbid sleep difficulties impacts many children and adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of psychological interventions on sleep in children and adolescents with chronic pain.
METHODS: Five databases (PubMed, CINAHL, APA PsychInfo, Embase, CENTRAL) were searched from inception to 17 April 2023 for randomized controlled trials examining the effects of psychological interventions on sleep in participants aged ≤19 years with pain persisting for ≥12 weeks. Six studies (participants, n = 686; 78.43% female) were included. Cochrane risk-of-bias 2 and GRADE were employed.
RESULTS: Pairwise random-effects restricted maximum likelihood meta-analysis demonstrated no effect of psychological interventions on sleep (g [95%CI]: -0.04 [-0.19, 0.11], p = .613, GRADE: high), pain intensity (0.05 [-0.17, 0.27], p = .563, GRADE: high), depressive symptomatology (0.17 [-0.27, 0.62], p = .304, GRADE: moderate) or anxious symptomatology (g [95%CI]: 0.13 [-0.32, 0.57], p = .351, GRADE: moderate). Subjective outcomes may limit clinical utility, and risk of bias (some concern for all studies) decreased confidence in effect estimates.
CONCLUSIONS: Development and evaluation of psychological interventions specifically tailored to address comorbidities of sleep difficulties in child and adolescent chronic pain populations is warranted. Systematic Review Registration: Registry: PROSPERO; Identifier: CRD42023454620.
PMID:40130439 | DOI:10.5664/jcsm.11678
