Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for youth with functional abdominal pain: a randomized clinical trial testing differential efficacy by patient subgroup

Inconsistent results of psychological treatments for pediatric functional abdominal pain (FAP) may be due to heterogeneity of patients' pain-related psychological characteristics. This randomized controlled trial tested whether statistically derived patient subgroups (high pain dysfunctional [HPD], high pain adaptive [HPA], and low pain adaptive [LPA]) moderated response to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for adolescents with FAP and their parents (n = 278 dyads; patients were 66% female, mean [SD] age was 14.62 [1.88] years, and parents were 95% female). Randomization to Internet-delivered CBT vs Internet-delivered pain education (EDU) was stratified by patient subgroup. Follow-up assessments of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (primary outcome), abdominal pain, and pain interference were at midtreatment, posttreatment, 6 months, and 12 months. Data were analysed using linear mixed effects models. Significant treatment x subgroup x time interaction effects showed that patient subgroup significantly moderated the effect of treatment on GI symptoms (t[853 = -2.93, P = 0.003) and abdominal pain (t(844) = -2.14, P = 0.03) across the treatment period. Among HPD youth, those in CBT had significantly greater GI symptom reduction than those in EDU through posttreatment. By contrast, among HPA and LPA youth, symptom improvement did not differ by treatment condition. Furthermore, among all patients assigned to CBT, HPD youth demonstrated significantly greater reductions in GI symptoms compared with HPA and LPA youth and greater reductions in abdominal pain compared with LPA youth. All subgroups maintained symptom reductions throughout the follow-up period. Results suggest that subgrouping FAP patients may inform treatment allocation and optimize treatment response.

Automated summary

The results of this study suggest that subgrouping pediatric FAP patients based on pain-related psychological characteristics can significantly impact the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy. Specifically, adolescents classified as high pain dysfunctional (HPD) showed greater reduction in GI symptoms and abdominal pain with CBT compared to those classified as high pain adaptive (HPA) and low pain adaptive (LPA). This research highlights the importance of personalized treatment approaches based on patient subgroups in optimizing treatment outcomes for pediatric FAP.