MATCHING TREATMENT WITH RECURRENT ABDOMINAL-PAIN SYMPTOMS - AN EVALUATION OF DIETARY FIBER AND RELAXATION TREATMENTS

We evaluated whether symptoms of recurrent abdominal pain in children provide a basis for treatment selection. Subjects were assigned to dietary fiber or relaxation treatments based upon whether they presented with symptoms of constipation. Elven subjects were treated in a combined multiple baseline and A-B or A-B-C design. As a control, some subjects recived the alternative treatment first. All four subjects with symptoms of constipation showed reductions in the number of stomachaches during the dietary fiber treatment. Of the seven subjects without symptoms of constipation, one showed reductions in stomachaches during the relaxation treatment, three showed some minimal reduction that was difficult to attribute to the relaxation treatment, two responded to the dietary fiber treatment, and one spontaneously improved during baseline. Results support the effectiveness of a dietary fiber treatment for children with symptoms of constipation. Minimal support was obtained for the effectiveness of a relaxation treatment for children without symptoms of constipation. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. © 1991 Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy. All right reserved.