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Hypnotherapy and mindfulness reduce pain and anxiety for children with cancer

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Hypnotherapy and mindfulness reduce pain and anxiety for children with cancer

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Psychosocial interventions can significantly reduce pain and anxiety for children undergoing cancer treatment, new Griffith University research has found. Dr. Karin Plummer from Griffith's School of Nursing and Midwifery investigated the efficacy of hypnosis, distraction techniques, virtual reality and mindfulness for children experiencing cancer pain.

Current evidence is largely focused on painful procedures such as needle insertions and lumbar punctures.

Plummer conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 randomized controlled trials involving more than 2,000 children undergoing cancer treatment. The studies were conducted across 16 countries and published between 1982 and 2025.

"Despite major advances in cancer survival, children with cancer continue to experience significant pain from treatments, procedures and the broader impacts of the disease," Plummer said.

"The study found psychosocial interventions have an important role alongside medicines as part of comprehensive pain care for children with cancer. The most effective techniques for pain were hypnosis, distraction strategies and mind-body approaches. Virtual reality, other technology-based interventions, hypnosis and distraction showed benefits for pain-related anxiety."

Psychosocial interventions could help children change how they experienced and responded to pain, including the anxiety, fear and distress that could make pain feel worse.

While they did not remove the medical cause of pain or replace medications, the findings supported their use as an important component of multimodal pain management and more holistic, child-centered cancer care.

Senior author Maria McCarthy, an associate professor from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), said, "This important review provides a strong foundation for research aimed at improving supportive care for children with cancer."


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