The Effects of Mindfulness on Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions have become increasingly popular in recent years. Typically, mindfulness-based interventions and their effects on mental health and/or adult populations have been explored in the literature. Limited research has been completed looking at mindfulness’ impacts on other facets, including chronic pain symptoms. Additionally, some research has been conducted to analyze mindfulness and its effects on school aged children and their day-to-day functioning with promising results. In this systematic literature review, mindfulness interventions and their effects on children and adolescents who experience chronic pain were explored. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework was used and resulted in the identification of 14 empirical studies, each of which were reviewed and coded to explore mindfulness’ effects on youth with chronic pain. The findings and implications of this review, the limitations of the research base, and future research directions are also discussed.