J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2022 Dec 27. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003687.Online ahead of print.

Joel B Winnick ^1 2, Leigh Chancey ³, Jessica Buzenski ⁴, Kritika Sukumar ¹, Dean R Focht 3rd ^1 5, Benjamin R Kuhn ^1 5, Saniya Tabani ¹, Nicole E Zahka ⁶, Sara E Williams ^6 7

Author information

¹Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.

²Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Geisinger.

³WakeMed Health and Hospitals.

⁴Emory University, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

⁵Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Geisinger.

⁶Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

⁷Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Abstract

A retrospective chart review was completed to examine psychological treatment duration and response among pediatric patients with a Disorder of Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBI) including functional abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was delivered via telehealth with a licensed psychologist or supervised psychology trainee embedded in a pediatric gastroenterology clinic. Participants were 22 youth (mean age = 14.36 years) who received CBT via telehealth between February to September of 2021, after completing an initial evaluation between February to July of 2021. Patients completed reliable and valid self-report measures of functional disability and pain during treatment. A unique CBT model was employed with an initial focus on psychoeducation and function regardless of level of severity of functional impairment. Consistent with study hypotheses, non-parametric statistical analyses demonstrated statistically significant reductions in functional disability and pain following implementation of the CBT model via telehealth. Contrary to predictions, there was no relation found between severity of functional impairment and duration of treatment.