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How is pain related to anxiety? Do children with chronic pain disorders display cognitive biases? Can cognitive bias modification be used to treat paediatric chronic pain?

Summary

This project (2013-2016) focuses on understanding how the basic mechanisms of pathological child and adolescent anxiety, focusing mainly on cognitive biases, can drive understanding of chronic pain trajectories early in development. The project will also conduct the first clinical trial of Cognitive Bias Modification for children with chronic pain.

Lead Researcher

Lauren Heathcote is the lead researcher in this study. Lauren is a DPhil student supervised by Dr Jennifer Lau (King's College London & REDD London), Professor Elaine Fox (University of Oxford), and Professor Chris Eccleston (University of Bath). Lauren is also working in collaboration with Dr Konrad Jacobs and Dr Nick Wilkinson, at the Oxford Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Centre (OxPARC). Lauren is also a member of Pain in Child Health (PICH), the Canadian training consortium aiming to strengthen the preparation of early researchers in child pain to become independent investigators. 

Funded by

Lauren's research is funded by an Action Medical Research Trainee Fellowship (2013-2016).