Prerequisite abilities in the use of hypnosis for pain in children with cognitive impairment

Marc Zabalia (1) , Fanny Esquerré

1 PALM - Psychologie des actions langagières et motrices

Children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities may be able to use some self-report tools to provide a rating of the intensity of their pain. They can also describe pain quality with approriate words and use adaptative strategies to cope with their painful experiences. Objective: To test the efficiency of mental imagery and autobiographical memory as they could be involved in hypnosis techniques for pain management. Study groups: 21 adolescents with intellectual disabilities, (M= 17 years-old, ages from 13 to 20 years-old), mental age (M= 6.8 years-old, ages from 3.6 to 9.6 years-old) and 10 typical children as a baseline to the autobiographical memory test (M= 6 years-old, ages from 5 to 9 years-old). Method: To test the ability to mentally represent events, children were asked to choose a picture to complete a story they had listened to. A semi-directive interview was conducted to assess autobiographical memory for comparison to typical children. Results: Children with intellectual disabilities were able to generate a mental image while listening to a story. They were able to recall autobiographical memories of events that were personal and specific. Conclusion: Children with intellectual disabilities appear able to take advantage of hypnosis for pain management. Further research should examine their ability to use these techniques in a clinical setting.

Mots clés: Children; intellectual disabilities; mental imagery; autobiographical memory; hypnosis

Domaines: Psychologie

Marc Zabalia, Fanny Esquerré. Prerequisite abilities in the use of hypnosis for pain in children with cognitive impairment. Journal of pain management, 2009, 2 (1), pp.63-69. ⟨hal-03272268⟩