Feasibility Study of a Guided Imagery Therapy Mobile Application for Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders in Children

August 14, 2026 updated by: John M Hollier, Baylor College of Medicine

Open-Labelled Feasibility Study of a Guided Imagery Therapy Mobile Application for Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders in Children

Chronic abdominal pain is common among children, and the majority of cases are attributed to functional abdominal pain disorders. One approach to treating these disorders is by using psychological therapies. This clinical trial aims to see how well pre-recorded guided imagery therapy sessions help children's abdominal pain when delivered via a mobile application (app) on a smartphone or tablet.

Participants will complete a baseline abdominal pain and stooling diary to determine eligibility, as well as other surveys. Eligible participants will be given access to the guided imagery therapy mobile application.

This intervention asks participants to listen to a 10- to 15-minute GIT session 5 out of 7 days per week for 8 weeks, in addition to their usual care for their abdominal pain. Then, participants will complete another abdominal pain and stooling diary, along with other psychometric surveys, at the end of this intervention period. Participants will also collect another diary and surveys 3 months post-treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

After fully disclosing the study design, intervention options, randomization scheme, and potential side effects of the interventions, caregivers and their children will document their respective informed consent and assent electronically. REDCap is a secure web application designed for surveys and databases. All data captured through REDCap will be encrypted and transmitted securely to HIPAA-compliant institutional servers for storage.

Participants and their caregivers will complete the following surveys at baseline, immediately post-therapy (8 weeks after baseline), and 3 months post-treatment through REDCap:

  • 2-week Abdominal Pain and Stooling Diary
  • Children's Somatic Symptoms Inventory (child self-report and parent proxy-report)
  • Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Child Version
  • Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Parent Version
  • Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core (child self-report and parent proxy-report)
  • Behavior Assessment System for Children 3rd Ed (child self-report and parent proxy-report)

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
63

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Austin, Texas, United States, 78759
        • Recruiting
        • Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital
        • Contact:
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Recruiting
        • Baylor College of Medicine / Texas Children's Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Texas Children's Pediatrics patients 7 to 12 years old at enrollment
  • A Rome IV Functional Abdominal Pain Disorder as defined by a 2-week abdominal pain and stooling diary
  • Both children and their primary caregivers must be able to read and communicate in English proficiently to understand the intervention's audio therapy sessions and psychometric instruments.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous abdominal surgeries
  • Co-morbid conditions associated with abdominal pain (e.g., cystic fibrosis)
  • Autism
  • Significant development delay
  • Psychosis
  • Prior experience with cognitive behavioral therapy or guided imagery therapy to treat chronic abdominal pain
  • Alarm symptoms that warrant further medical evaluation (e.g., blood in stool)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Treatment
Participants randomized to the Immediate Treatment arm will receive immediate access to the guided imagery therapy mobile application intervention.
Behavioral: Guided Imagery Therapy
Participants will be asked to listen to a pre-recorded, 10 to 15 minute guided imagery therapy (GIT) sessions via mobile application 5 out of 7 days per week for 8 weeks in addition to their usual care for their abdominal pain.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Abdominal Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Average daily abdominal pain severity measured on a 0-10 (10 is most severe) ordinal scale from a self-report 2-week abdominal pain diary
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Abdominal Pain Frequency
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Average number of abdominal pain episodes per day from a self-report 2-week abdominal pain diary
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Anxiety
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Pediatric Anxiety Short Form 8a, t score ranges from approximately 36 to 83, higher scores are worse
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Anxiety
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Parent Proxy Anxiety Short Form 8a, t score ranges from approximately 36 to 84, higher scores are worse
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Depression
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Pediatric Depressive Symptoms Short Form 8a, t score ranges from approximately from 38-82, higher scores are worse
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Depression
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Parent Proxy Depressive Symptoms Short Form 6a, t score ranges from approximately from 36 to 85, higher scores are worse
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Somatization
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Children's Somatic Symptoms Inventory child self-report, raw score ranges from 0 to 96, higher scores are worse
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Somatization
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Children's Somatic Symptoms Inventory parent-proxy report, raw score ranges from 0 to 96, higher scores are worse
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Pain Catastrophizing Thoughts
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Child Version, raw score ranges from 0 to 52, higher scores are worse
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Pain Catastrophizing Thoughts
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Pain Catastrophizing Scale - Parent Version, raw score range from 0 to 52, higher scores are worse
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Health-Related Quality of Life
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales 4.0 child self-report, raw score ranges from 0 to 100, higher scores are better
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Health-Related Quality of Life
Time Frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)
Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales 4.0 parent-proxy report, raw score ranges from 0 to 100, higher scores are better
Baseline and Post-intervention (immediately after 8-week intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Baylor College of Medicine

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 26, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 28, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 30, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 14, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • H-58306

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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