Children diagnosed with cancer experience many invasive procedures throughout diagnosis and treatment of their disease. These procedures, oftentimes a source of distress in children, can elicit a variety of anticipatory symptoms prior to the actual procedure. Although there have been efforts to develop approaches to alleviate this distress through use of distraction, relaxation, sedation, guided imagery, and hypnosis, there has not been a combination treatment that merged relaxation techniques and biofeedback within a pediatric framework. A group of 12 children diagnosed with cancer participated in a 4-session intervention combining relaxation and biofeedback. This feasibility study suggests that the combination intervention offered in a clinical setting may be beneficial to children experiencing procedural distress as a novel coping strategy.
ArguellesL.McCratyR.ReesR. (2003). The heart in holistic education. ENCOUNTER: Education for Meaning and Social Justice, 16(3), 13-21.
2.
AugustinP.HainsA. (1996). Effect of music on ambulatory surgery patients’ preoperative anxiety. AORN Journal, 6, 750-758.
3.
BanduraA. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28, 117-148.
4.
BanezG.CulbertT. (2005, Summer). An integrative approach to vocal cord dysfunction in young athletes. Biofeedback, 54-57.
5.
ButlerL. D.SymonsB. K.HendersonS. L.ShortliffeL. D.SpiegelD. (2005). Hypnosis reduces distress and duration of an invasive medical procedure for children. Pediatrics, 115, 77-85.
6.
ChambersC.HadialJ.CraigK.CourtC.MongomeryC. (2005). FACES pain scale for the measurement of post-operative pain intensity in children following minor surgery. Journal of Pain, 21, 277-285.
7.
ChenE.CraskeM. G.KatzE. R.SchwartzE.ZeltzerL. K. (2000). Pain-sensitive temperament: Does it predict procedural distress and response to psychological treatment among children with cancer?Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 25, 269-278.
8.
ChenE.ZeltzerL. K.CraskeM. G.KatzE. R. (1999). Alteration of memory in the reduction of children’s distress during repeated aversive medical procedures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 481-490.
9.
DahlquistL.PowerT.CoxC.FernbachD. (1994). Parenting and child distress during cancer procedures: A multidimensional assessment. Child Health Care, 23, 149-166.
10.
DouthitJ. (1990). Patient care guidelines: Psychological assessment and management of pediatric pain. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 16, 168-170.
Hockenberry-EatonM.KempV.DiIorioC. (1994). Cancer stressors and protective factors: Predictors of stress experienced during treatment for childhood cancer. Research in Nursing & Health, 17, 351-361.
13.
JayS. M.ElliottC. H.OzolinsM.OlsonR. A.PruittS. D. (1985). Behavioral management of children’s distress during painful medical procedures. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 513-520.
14.
JonesB. (2006). Caregivers of children with cancer. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 14, 221-239.
15.
LazarusR. (1993). From psychological stress to the emotions: A history of changing outlooks. Annual Review of Psychology, 44, 1-21.
16.
LazarusR. S.FolkmanS. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer.
17.
LeBaronS.ZeltzerL. (1984). Assessment of acute pain and anxiety in children and adolescents by self-reports, observer reports, and a behavior checklist. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 729-738.
18.
LevineS.UrsinH. (1991). What is stress? In BrownM. R.KoobG. F.RivierC. (Eds.), Stress: Neurobiology and neuroendocrinology (pp. 3-21). New York, NY: Marcel Dekker.
19.
LiH. C. W.LopezV. (2006). Assessing children’s emotional responses to surgery: A multidimensional approach. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53, 543-550.
20.
LubitR.RovineD.DefrancisciL.EthS. (2003). Impact of trauma on children. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 9, 128-138.
MacLarenJ. E.CohenL. L. (2005). A comparison of distraction strategies for venipuncture distress in children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 30, 387-396.
23.
McCratyR.AtkinsonM.TomasinoD.GoelitzJ.MayrovitzH. (1999). The impact of an emotional self-management skills course on psychosocial functioning and autonomic recovery to stress in middle school children. Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science, 34, 246-268.
24.
MoruzziG.MagounH. (1949). Brain stem reticular formation and activation of the EEG. Electroencephalagraphy Clinical Neurophysiology, 1, 455-473.
25.
PandaN.BajajA.PershadD.YaddanapudiL.ChariP. (1996). Preoperative anxiety: Effect of early or late position on the operating list. Anesthesia, 51, 344-346.
26.
SchwarzerR.SchulzU. (2002). The role of stressful life events. In NezuA. M.NezuC. M.GellerP. A. (Eds.), Handbook of psychology, Vol. 9: Health psychology (pp. 27-49). New York, NY: Wiley.
27.
SpielbergerC. (1973). Manual for the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for children. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
28.
ThompsonR. H. (1985). Psychosocial research on pediatric hospitalization and healthcare: A review of the literature. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
29.
UrsinH.EriksenH. R. (2004). The cognitive activation theory of stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 29, 567-592.
30.
WongD.BakerC. (1988). Pain in children: Comparison of assessment scales. Pediatric Nursing, 14, 9-17.
