Psychological Preparation for Pediatric Oncology Patients Undergoing Painful Procedures: A Methodological Critique of the Research

Hypnosis and cognitive-behavioral packages are effective in preparing pediatric oncology patients for bone marrow aspiration and lumbar puncture. However, the relative efficacy of different preparations has not been determined, and potent components of preparation packages have yet to be identified. Further, factors hypothesized to moderate effectiveness of preparation (e.g., cognitive development) have not been investigated. Finally, due to a failure to employ process measures, the extent to which hypothesized mediators of behavior change (e.g., self-efficacy) are modified by preparation is unclear. Following an overview of empirical investigations, we make recommendations for addressing these limitations in future research.