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NCT Number: NCT07425691

SPACE for Youth With Chronic Pain

The primary objective is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a group-based parent training intervention for parents of youth with chronic pain. Secondary objectives include evaluating changes in child functional impairment, pain intensity, and parent accommodation.

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Key information

Age range

10 year–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Stanford Children's Health, Palo Alto, California, United States

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Who can participate

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Children aged 10-17 with chronic pain (≥3 months) and associated functional impairment
  • Parent/guardian living with the child ≥50% of the time
  • Parent and child are fluent in English

Exclusion criteria

  • Pain better explained by another medical condition
  • History of psychosis, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, or intellectual disability (child)
  • Current emotional, cognitive, or physical barrier to participation for caregiver, as determined by clinical judgment of study personnel
  • Severe psychiatric symptoms requiring immediate intervention
  • Ongoing individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for pain

Treatment and study plan

Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions - Pain

Behavioral

Originally developed for pediatric anxiety disorders, SPACE equips parents to reduce accommodation while maintaining a warm, empathic stance.

Other names: SPACE

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility - Acceptance

    Time frame: From enrollment through the end of the treatment (6-8 weeks)

    Feasibility of intervention as measured by the mean of number of sessions attended. Local session documents will track each session.

  2. Acceptability - Client Satisfaction

    Time frame: Post-treatment (6-8 weeks)

    Client satisfaction with the intervention will be measured by the patient-reported Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire is an 8-item, widely used, self-report measure for assessing general client satisfaction with mental health services. It uses a 4-point Likert scale for each question. This will be administered to parents, who received the intervention. Total scores range from 8 to 32, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.

    Parents of youth with chronic pain will be asked to complete this measure at the end of the intervention.

  3. Acceptability - Provider

    Time frame: Post-treatment (6-8 weeks)

    Provider will assess the acceptability of the measure by the Acceptability of Intervention Measure. This 4-item measure is measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree; 5 = completely agree). Scoring involves calculating the mean of the 4 items (range 1-5), with higher scores indicating higher acceptability.

    Providers will be asked to complete this measure at the end of the intervention.

  4. Provider Intervention Appropriateness

    Time frame: Post-treatment (6-8 weeks)

    Provider will assess the appropriateness of the measure by the Intervention Appropriateness Measure. This 4-item measure is measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree; 5 = completely agree). Scoring involves calculating the mean of the 4 items (range 1-5), with higher scores indicating higher degree of appropriateness.

    Providers will be asked to complete this measure at the end of the intervention

  5. Feasibility - Provider

    Time frame: Post-treatment (6-8 weeks)

    Provider will assess the feasibility of the measure by the Feasibility of Intervention Measure. This 4-item measure is measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree; 5 = completely agree). Scoring involves calculating the mean of the 4 items (range 1-5), with higher scores indicating higher degree of feasibility.

    Providers will be asked to complete this measure at the end of the intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Anxiety - Child

    Time frame: Baseline

    This 8-item Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) - Anxiety scale measures the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents per self- and parent-report. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1, "never" to 5, "almost always"). It is part of the PROMIS pediatric system and allows for reliable, standardized comparisons across studies. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Youth will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  2. Anxiety - Child

    Time frame: Post-Treatment (6-8 weeks)

    This 8-item PROMIS Anxiety scale measures the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents per self- and parent-report. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1, "never" to 5, "almost always"). It is part of the PROMIS pediatric system and allows for reliable, standardized comparisons across studies. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Youth will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  3. Anxiety - Child

    Time frame: 1 month Post-Treatment

    This 8-item PROMIS Anxiety scale measures the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents per self- and parent-report. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1, "never" to 5, "almost always"). It is part of the PROMIS pediatric system and allows for reliable, standardized comparisons across studies. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Youth will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  4. Anxiety - Child

    Time frame: 3 months Post-Treatment

    This 8-item PROMIS Anxiety scale measures the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents per self- and parent-report. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1, "never" to 5, "almost always"). It is part of the PROMIS pediatric system and allows for reliable, standardized comparisons across studies. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Youth will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  5. Anxiety - Parent

    Time frame: Baseline

    This 8-item PROMIS Anxiety scale measures the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents per self- and parent-report. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1, "never" to 5, "almost always"). It is part of the PROMIS pediatric system and allows for reliable, standardized comparisons across studies. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  6. Anxiety - Parent

    Time frame: Post-Treatment (6-8 weeks)

    This 8-item PROMIS Anxiety scale measures the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents per self- and parent-report. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1, "never" to 5, "almost always"). It is part of the PROMIS pediatric system and allows for reliable, standardized comparisons across studies. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  7. Anxiety - Parent

    Time frame: 1 month Post-Treatment

    This 8-item PROMIS Anxiety scale measures the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents per self- and parent-report. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1, "never" to 5, "almost always"). It is part of the PROMIS pediatric system and allows for reliable, standardized comparisons across studies. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  8. Anxiety - Parent

    Time frame: 3 months Post-Treatment

    This 8-item PROMIS Anxiety scale measures the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents per self- and parent-report. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1, "never" to 5, "almost always"). It is part of the PROMIS pediatric system and allows for reliable, standardized comparisons across studies. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  9. Depression - Child

    Time frame: Baseline

    The PROMIS Depression Short Form evaluates depressive symptoms, including sadness and unhappiness, in pediatric populations in the past 7 days. The Child report form is 8 items. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1 = never to 5 =almost always). It provides a standardized measure of affective functioning relevant to chronic pain and related conditions. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Youth will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  10. Depression - Child

    Time frame: Post-Treatment (6-8 weeks)

    The PROMIS Depression Short Form evaluates depressive symptoms, including sadness and unhappiness, in pediatric populations in the past 7 days. The Child report form is 8 items. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1 = never to 5 =almost always). It provides a standardized measure of affective functioning relevant to chronic pain and related conditions. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Youth will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  11. Depression - Child

    Time frame: 1 month Post-Treatment

    The PROMIS Depression Short Form evaluates depressive symptoms, including sadness and unhappiness, in pediatric populations in the past 7 days. The Child report form is 8 items. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1 = never to 5 =almost always). It provides a standardized measure of affective functioning relevant to chronic pain and related conditions. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Youth will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  12. Depression - Child

    Time frame: 3 months Post-Treatment

    The PROMIS Depression Short Form evaluates depressive symptoms, including sadness and unhappiness, in pediatric populations in the past 7 days. The Child report form is 8 items. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1 = never to 5 =almost always). It provides a standardized measure of affective functioning relevant to chronic pain and related conditions. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Youth will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  13. Depression - Parent

    Time frame: Baseline

    The PROMIS Depression Short Form evaluates depressive symptoms, including sadness and unhappiness, in pediatric populations in the past 7 days. The Parent report form is 6 items. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1 = never to 5 =almost always). It provides a standardized measure of affective functioning relevant to chronic pain and related conditions. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  14. Depression - Parent

    Time frame: Post-Treatment (6-8 weeks)

    The PROMIS Depression Short Form evaluates depressive symptoms, including sadness and unhappiness, in pediatric populations in the past 7 days. The Parent report form is 6 items. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1 = never to 5 =almost always). It provides a standardized measure of affective functioning relevant to chronic pain and related conditions. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  15. Depression - Parent

    Time frame: 1 month Post-Treatment

    The PROMIS Depression Short Form evaluates depressive symptoms, including sadness and unhappiness, in pediatric populations in the past 7 days. The Parent report form is 6 items. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1 = never to 5 =almost always). It provides a standardized measure of affective functioning relevant to chronic pain and related conditions. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  16. Depression - Parent

    Time frame: 3 months Post-Treatment

    The PROMIS Depression Short Form evaluates depressive symptoms, including sadness and unhappiness, in pediatric populations in the past 7 days. The Parent report form is 6 items. Responses are measured on a 5 point likert scale (1 = never to 5 =almost always). It provides a standardized measure of affective functioning relevant to chronic pain and related conditions. Total scores are calculated by summing each item response. Total scores are then translated into a T-score for each participant. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. Therefore, a person with a T-score of 40 is one SD below the mean.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  17. Parent Stress

    Time frame: Baseline

    The Parent Stress Scale is an 18-item self-report scale. Items represent positive (e.g., emotional benefits, personal development) and negative (e.g., demands on resources, restrictions) themes of parenthood. Respondents agree or disagree in terms of their typical relationship with their child. Responses are measured on a 5-point likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). A total score is calculated by summing each item score. Overall possible scores on the scale range from 18 - 90. The higher the score, the higher the measured level of Parental stress.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  18. Parent Stress

    Time frame: Post-Treatment (6-8 weeks)

    The Parent Stress Scale is an 18-item self-report scale. Items represent positive (e.g., emotional benefits, personal development) and negative (e.g., demands on resources, restrictions) themes of parenthood. Respondents agree or disagree in terms of their typical relationship with their child. Responses are measured on a 5-point likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Overall possible scores on the scale range from 18 - 90. A total score is calculated by summing each item score. Overall possible scores on the scale range from 18 - 90. The higher the score, the higher the measured level of Parental stress.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  19. Parent Stress

    Time frame: 1 month Post-Treatment

    The Parent Stress Scale is an 18-item self-report scale. Items represent positive (e.g., emotional benefits, personal development) and negative (e.g., demands on resources, restrictions) themes of parenthood. Respondents agree or disagree in terms of their typical relationship with their child. Responses are measured on a 5-point likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). A total score is calculated by summing each item score. Overall possible scores on the scale range from 18 - 90. The higher the score, the higher the measured level of Parental stress.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  20. Parent Stress

    Time frame: 3 months Post-Treatment

    The Parent Stress Scale is an 18-item self-report scale. Items represent positive (e.g., emotional benefits, personal development) and negative (e.g., demands on resources, restrictions) themes of parenthood. Respondents agree or disagree in terms of their typical relationship with their child. Responses are measured on a 5-point likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). A total score is calculated by summing each item score. Overall possible scores on the scale range from 18 - 90. The higher the score, the higher the measured level of Parental stress.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  21. Parent Accommodation

    Time frame: Baseline

    The Inventory of Parent Accommodations to Children's Symptoms (IPACS) is an 11-item parent report form that assesses the degree to which parents accommodate their child's pain. Responses are captured on a 5-point likert scale (0, "never" to 4, "always"). A total score is calculated by summing each item score. Overall possible scores range from 0 to 44 with higher scores suggesting greater parental accommodation.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  22. Parent Accommodation

    Time frame: Post-Treatment (6-8 weeks)

    The Inventory of Parent Accommodations to Children's Symptoms (IPACS) is an 11-item parent report form that assesses the degree to which parents accommodate their child's pain. Responses are captured on a 5-point likert scale (0, "never" to 4, "always"). A total score is calculated by summing each item score. Overall possible scores range from 0 to 44 with higher scores suggesting greater parental accommodation.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  23. Parent Accommodation

    Time frame: 1 month Post-Treatment

    The Inventory of Parent Accommodations to Children's Symptoms (IPACS) is an 11-item parent report form that assesses the degree to which parents accommodate their child's pain. Responses are captured on a 5-point likert scale (0, "never" to 4, "always"). A total score is calculated by summing each item score. Overall possible scores range from 0 to 44 with higher scores suggesting greater parental accommodation.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

  24. Parent Accommodation

    Time frame: 3 months Post-Treatment

    The Inventory of Parent Accommodations to Children's Symptoms (IPACS) is an 11-item parent report form that assesses the degree to which parents accommodate their child's pain. Responses are captured on a 5-point likert scale (0, "never" to 4, "always"). A total score is calculated by summing each item score. Overall possible scores range from 0 to 44 with higher scores suggesting greater parental accommodation.

    Parents will complete this questionnaire at baseline, post-treatment, as well as one- and three-month follow up time points.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Christina Murphy, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

215-590-6577

Julia Ney, MA

CONTACT

[email protected]

215-590-6577

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Other

Collaborators

  • Stanford Children's Health

Registry information

Official study title

Development of a Parent Training Intervention for Pediatric Patients With Pain

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 23, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 15, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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