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Hypnotherapy and mindfulness reduce pain and anxiety for children with cancer (opens in a new tab)

medicalxpress.com · 2026-11-04

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The story

Hypnotherapy and mindfulness reduce pain and anxiety for children with cancer

medicalxpress.com · 2026-11-04

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The study doesn't address any of the story's claims. We found the paper, but it doesn't report the details the story leads with.

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The source study

Psychosocial interventions for reducing pain and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials

Pain · 2026

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Claim 1 of 6Not coveredPsychosocial interventions can significantly reduce pain and anxiety for children undergoing cancer treatment, according to new Griffith University research.View evidenceHide evidence

As statedsignificantly

Why this verdict

The supplied paper profile confirms only that this is a registered systematic review/meta-analysis of RCTs on psychosocial interventions for pain intensity and pain-related distress in pediatric oncology. It does not provide results, pooled estimates, statistical significance, or anxiety-specific findings. The headline’s unhedged causal wording therefore cannot be verified from the abstract-level evidence supplied.

Study evidence

This publication is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials registered under CRD42022343066, with the stated aim of evaluating whether psychosocial interventions reduce pain intensity and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment. No study results or pooled estimates are available in the provided text.

Claim 2 of 6Not coveredDr. Karin Plummer investigated the efficacy of hypnosis, distraction techniques, virtual reality and mindfulness for children experiencing cancer pain.View evidenceHide evidence

Why this verdict

The profile supports the broad topic—psychosocial interventions for pain and distress in children/adolescents undergoing cancer treatment—but does not identify hypnosis, distraction, virtual reality, or mindfulness as investigated intervention categories in the available abstract-level evidence.

Study evidence

Study evidence

The paper is a registered systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42022343066) of psychosocial interventions targeting pain and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment. The available record (title and registration number) identifies a multi-age pediatric scope and intervention-focused review question but the abstract text provided contains no methodological or results detail about subgroup or moderator analyses.

Claim 3 of 6Not coveredPlummer conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 randomized controlled trials involving more than 2,000 children undergoing cancer treatment, published in the journal Pain.View evidenceHide evidence

As stated42 randomized controlled trials; more than 2,000 children

Why this verdict

The profile supports that the work is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. However, the supplied evidence does not verify the named investigator, the claimed 42 RCTs, more than 2,000 participants, or publication in Pain.

Study evidence

Claim 4 of 6Not coveredThe study found psychosocial interventions have an important role alongside medicines as part of comprehensive pain care for children with cancer.View evidenceHide evidence

Why this verdict

The available profile does not include the paper’s conclusions or clinical implications. It therefore cannot verify that the study found psychosocial interventions have an important role alongside medicines as part of comprehensive pediatric cancer pain care.

Study evidence

Claim 5 of 6Not coveredThe most effective techniques for pain were hypnosis, distraction strategies and mind-body approaches, and virtual reality, other technology-based interventions, hypnosis and distraction showed benefits for pain-related anxiety.View evidenceHide evidence

As statedmost effective

Why this verdict

The profile contains no results, subgroup/moderator findings, comparative rankings, or intervention-specific effect estimates. Claims that hypnosis, distraction, mind-body approaches, virtual reality, or other technology-based interventions were most effective or beneficial for specific outcomes cannot be verified at this evidence depth.

Study evidence

Study evidence

Claim 6 of 6Not coveredThe article says psychosocial interventions do not remove the medical cause of pain or replace medications, but support multimodal pain management and more holistic, child-centered cancer care.View evidenceHide evidence

Why this verdict

The supplied paper profile does not report conclusions about mechanisms, medication replacement, multimodal pain management, or holistic child-centered care. These may be reasonable clinical framing, but they are not verifiable from the provided abstract-level paper evidence.

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What the story left out

Important study details the story did not include.

The number and characteristics of included RCTs, sample sizes, intervention types, and comparators are not reported in the supplied paper evidence.
The story gives specific counts and intervention categories, including 42 RCTs and more than 2,000 children, but those details are not present in the supplied profile.
From Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Subgroup or moderator analyses by intervention type, age group, or treatment/procedure context cannot be confirmed from the supplied evidence.
The story presents intervention-specific rankings and benefits, but the profile states that subgroup/moderator analyses and their results cannot be determined from the supplied abstract-level material.
From secondary data
Risk-of-bias, certainty-of-evidence, and publication-bias/small-study-effect assessments are not available in the supplied paper profile.
The story does not mention these evidence-quality limitations. Because the profile flags their absence, the story’s confident claims lack an important caveat available in the supplied paper profile.
From Systematic review / meta-analysis of RCTs

1 thing the story did carry across

The paper is a registered systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on psychosocial interventions for reducing pain intensity and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment.

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secondary data

1Lead resultsecondary dataSynthesize randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence on whether psychosocial interventions reduce pain intensity and pain-related distress in pediatric oncology patients undergoing cancer treatment.Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsExpand

In plain English

Registered systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42022343066) of randomized controlled trials assessing whether psychosocial interventions reduce pain intensity and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment. Title and registration indicate review-level synthesis and quantitative pooling of RCT outcomes, but no results or conclusions are present in the provided text.

Key findings

This publication is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials registered under CRD42022343066, with the stated aim of evaluating whether psychosocial interventions reduce pain intensity and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment. No study results or pooled estimates are available in the provided text.

What this piece can’t prove

No results or conclusions available in the provided text excerpt.
Number and characteristics of included RCTs (sample sizes, intervention types, comparators) are not reported in the supplied material.
No pooled effect sizes, confidence intervals, heterogeneity metrics, or risk-of-bias/certainty assessments are present in the provided excerpt, preventing appraisal of effect magnitude or evidence strength.

2secondary dataAssess moderators/subgroups and study-level characteristics (e.g., intervention type, age group, treatment/procedure context) that may explain variability in effects on pain and distress outcomes.Expand

In plain English

Key findings

No separate finding listed.

What this piece can’t prove

Summary is based only on title/registration metadata; no abstract or full-text methods/results concerning moderator/subgroup analyses were available in the supplied evidence.
Cannot determine whether subgroup/moderator analyses were planned, conducted, or what study-level characteristics (intervention type, age group, treatment/procedure context) were examined or found to explain heterogeneity.

3secondary dataEvaluate risk of bias, reporting quality, and potential publication bias/small-study effects in the included RCTs.Systematic review / meta-analysis of RCTsExpand

In plain English

Registered systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42022343066) of randomized controlled trials evaluating psychosocial interventions to reduce pain and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment. Provided text (title and registration) confirms study design and population focus but does not report methods or results details relevant to risk-of-bias or publication-bias assessments.

Key findings

No information in the provided text about risk-of-bias ratings for included RCTs or results of publication-bias/small-study effects assessments.

What this piece can’t prove

Input contains only the article title, journal, year, PMID, DOI, and protocol registration number; no methods or results sections were provided.
Unable to determine which specific tools or statistical tests (if any) were used for risk-of-bias, certainty-of-evidence, or publication-bias assessments.
Cannot extract results, effect estimates, or judgments about the credibility of included trials from the supplied text.

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Psychosocial interventions for reducing pain and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials

Pain · 2026

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Papers considered

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PubMed, Crossref, Europe PMC · 37 candidate papers

Selected

Psychosocial interventions for reducing pain and pain-related distress in infants, children, and adolescents undergoing cancer treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials

Pain · 2026 · PubMed, Crossref

Tessa Source

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Virtual Reality Interventions for Pediatric Pain and Anxiety Management During Emergency Department Procedures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

JACEP Open · 2026 · Europe PMC, Crossref

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The Journal of Pain Author Index of the 2026 USASP Annual Scientific Meeting

The Journal of Pain · 2026 · Crossref

Source

CandidateOpen access

Procedural Support for Neurodivergent Children During Medical Procedures: A Scoping Review.

2026 · Europe PMC

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And 31 more candidates considered.