Overview

• A study analyzing 91 trials with over 7,200 children confirms hypnotherapy and CBT as the most effective treatments for chronic stomach pain in children.
• Hypnotherapy was found to be 68% more effective, and CBT 35% more effective, than no treatment in managing long-term abdominal pain.
• The research highlights the absence of standardized treatment guidelines, leading to inconsistent care approaches worldwide.
• Experts call for greater accessibility to psychosocial therapies, countering biases favoring medical treatments despite lower evidence of efficacy.
• Chronic abdominal pain affects up to 12% of children globally, impacting an estimated 300 million children with debilitating symptoms.