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Comparison of Biofeedback and Relaxation in the Treatment of Pediatric Headache and the Influence of Parent Involvement on Outcome

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Abstract

The relative efficacy of EMG-frontalis feedback and progressive relaxation was examined in children with tension-type or combined headaches (8–14 yrs. old). Furthermore, the influence of parent involvement, in the form of a three-session educational approach, on training outcome was systematically explored (2 × 2 factor design). Fifty children took part in the study, 40 were randomly assigned to the four different treatment conditions, 10 children participated in the self-monitoring control group. The training comprised 6 sessions of 1 hr each in the relaxation treatment and 12 sessions of 1/2 hr duration in the biofeedback group. Headache diaries were kept by children and parents for 4-week period prior to therapy, and for a similar length of time at post-treatment and follow-up (6 months). Multivariate analyses of variance on the headache diary data yield no significant main or interaction effects of treatment format or of parent involvement, but only a main effect of period, indicating a general efficacy of the four treatment conditions. At follow-up the reduction of headache activity is even more prominent. A different evaluative approach points to the superiority of biofeedback revealing a mean effect size for biofeedback training that reflects a good to excellent improvement rate. Correlations between headache data from children and parents are high.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany

    Birgit Kröner-Herwig

  2. Clinical Psychology, University of Duesseldorf, Germany

    Ulla Mohn

  3. Child Neurology, Evangelisches Krankenhaus, Oberhausen, Germany

    Raimund Pothmann

Authors
  1. Birgit Kröner-Herwig
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  2. Ulla Mohn
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  3. Raimund Pothmann
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Kröner-Herwig, B., Mohn, U. & Pothmann, R. Comparison of Biofeedback and Relaxation in the Treatment of Pediatric Headache and the Influence of Parent Involvement on Outcome. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 23, 143–157 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022267104369

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