Daily coping practice predicts treatment effects in children with sickle cell disease

Objective: To examine the 1-month effects of a pain coping skills intervent ion in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Methods: Forty-six African American children (8-17 years old) were randomly assigned to either a coping skills condition or a standard care control co ndition. Children were asked to practice daily with audiotaped instructions of skills (e.g., relaxation, imagery). Results: Multivariate analyses of summary measures indicated that children in the coping intervention (versus control group) reported a significantly more active approach to managing pain. Multilevel random effects models app lied to daily diary data indicated that on pain days when children practice d their strategies, they had fewer health care contacts, fewer school absen ces, and less interference with household activities than on days when they did not practice. Conclusions: Brief training in coping skills followed by minimal therapist contact may lead to a range of benefits when children practice with their s kills on a consistent basis.