Just in TIME - Intervention With Dance and Yoga for Girls With Recurrent Abdominal Pain
Just in TIME - Intervention With Dance and Yoga for Girls With Recurrent Abdominal Pain
Recurrent abdominal pain affects up to 37% of school-age children, mostly girls. These
 problems results in decreased quality-of-life, absence from school, lower sleep quality and
 increased health-care consumption. Long-term effects are lasting pain-symptoms and increased
 risk for psychiatric illness.

 The scientific evidence for interventions towards long-term pain in children is limited and
 pharmacological treatment is not effective. Cognitive behavioral therapy has shown some
 effect but is time- and resource consuming. Dance and yoga can enhance positive protective
 factors through better body awareness and increased self-regulation. Relaxation in yoga also
 has positive effect on abdominal pain.

 The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of an intervention with dance and yoga for
 girls, 9 to 12 years old, with recurrent abdominal pain. The participants will be identified
 through pediatric clinics in Örebro County, primary health care and school health care. They
 will be randomized to intervention with weekly dance- and yoga class for 8 months or control
 group with standard treatment. Primary outcome is the fraction of girls in each group who,
 direct after intervention, has decreased their maximum pain measured by Faces Pain Scale.
 Secondary outcomes are stress, psychical health, well-being, school and sleep functions,
 physical activity and health-economy. The study group will be followed up for two years.

 Just-in-TIME is an interdisciplinary research group with expertise in interventions for
 psychosomatic problems in children and adolescents. TIME, which stands for Try, Identify,
 Move and Enjoy, also characterizes this project, aiming at decreasing recurrent abdominal
 pain through an intervention with dance and yoga for 9-12 year old girls.
Inclusion Criteria:

 Girls 9-13 years old as of pediatricians receive or have received the diagnosis functional
 abdominal pain or IBS according to the ROME III criteria and stating that they have persist
 symptoms for at least 2 months after completed investigation from pediatricians. Persistent
 symptoms are measured by pain diary at baseline and means that the girl at least once in
 the pain diary estimates 4 or higher as measured by the Faces Pain Scale (FPS-R).

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Simultaneous celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

 -  Difficulties in following verbal instructions such as hearing impaired or mentally
 retarded.

 -  Girls who are deemed to have such serious psychological symptoms that other treatment
 is required. All participants in the study, which estimates over 13 at the Children's
 Depression Screener (Child-S), will meet a psychologist / psychiatrist to assess
 whether they can participate in the study or have direct access to the Children and
 Youth psychiatry.

 -  Children treated with CBT.