Stress management techniques in childhood and adolescence. Relaxation training, meditation, hypnosis, and biofeedback: appropriate clinical applications.
Many childhood and adolescent stress-related symptoms have a psychophysiological component that involves muscular tension and/or autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Examples of this include recurrent headache, chest pain, abdominal pain, syncope, and dizziness. After a careful medical and psychosocial evaluation, the clinician may identify many patients who are appropriate for the application of stress reduction techniques such as progressive muscular relaxation, meditation, biofeedback, and relaxation/mental imagery (self-hypnosis). This review describes these techniques and their application with selected children and adolescents.
Smith
M S
MS
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.
Womack
W M
WM
D000293:Adolescent; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D002648:Child; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D008297:Male; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*