Children who suffer with chronic pain are being invited to take part in an online pain management programme - the first of its kind in Ireland.

The programme is being run by researchers from the School of Psychology and Centre for Pain Research at NUI Galway, and is open to children aged between six and 10 years, along with their parents or caregivers.

The online programme, Feeling Better, aims to help children and their carers to manage chronic pain better, improving their quality of life. It is based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a type of psychological therapy that has been found to be effective in the management of chronic pain.

This marks the first trial of its type in Ireland as this is the only widely available source of online interactive therapeutic support for young children with chronic pain in this country.

The researchers are inviting families who are dealing with chronic pain to aid in the testing of the programme. Those who take part will help researchers decide if this web-based technology is an acceptable means of treatment delivery, in other words, what works and what does not work.

Chronic pain can be described as ‘pain which persists past the normal time of healing', which is taken, in absence of other criteria, to be three months. It can be caused by a range of common conditions, including arthritis, cancer and diabetes, or by other factors such as injuries or operations.

Chronic pain can affect one part of the body - the back is a common location - or several parts. It is estimated to affect around one in three people in Ireland and is increasingly prevalent in young people.

Recent research suggests that up to 10% of children aged between five and 12 suffer with chronic pain, including back pain, abdominal pain and headache.

The Feeling Better programme is open to all children aged between six and 10 who suffer with any type of chronic or persistent pain that has lasted at least three months. Children from any part of Ireland can take part and support groups, GPs and physiotherapists are being encouraged to refer suitable people to the programme.

The programme was developed at NUI Galway with input from affected families, including children.

"This influence ensures Feeling Better is a fun and engaging form of online therapeutic support designed by children with pain for children with pain," NUI Galway noted.

The programme involves 30-minute sessions carried out weekly over the course of nine weeks. All participants will be guided through these sessions by a ‘coach', who will be able to provide advice and feedback regularly.

"Each week, this fun, pirate-themed, interactive programme will introduce children to new skills in the form of 'challenges' and weekly 'missions' (treatment sessions), which they must complete in order to progress in their training.

"Participating children will begin the programme as a 'Powder Monkey' and must earn a promotion with each mission until they succeed to 'Captain' and claim their treasure. Parents are encouraged to take the role of 'Coach' and are separately guided through a complementary section of the programme where they are provided with information, tips for practice and tools to help with day-to-day pain management," NUI Galway explained.

Children and their parents will learn more about techniques to help manage chronic pain, such as relaxation training, activity pacing and the influence of thoughts and emotions on the experience of pain.

According to PhD candidate, Angeline Traynor, who is carrying out the research, chronic pain 'is thought to be predictive of long-term complaints and disability'.

"Given the impact of chronic pain, it is essential to provide a means of support for young children with respect to pain management. Learning coping strategies at an early age may have long-term benefits for the child and the family as a whole.

"Our hope is that this online programme will overcome access and resource issues, which may be preventing families from receiving psychological treatment to support pain management," she said.

Participation is entirely voluntary. To participate or for further information, email team@feelingbetter.ie, call 086 037 8562 or click here

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