Abstract
Mind-body interventions (MBIs) are one of the top ten complementary approaches utilized in pediatrics, but there is limited knowledge on associated adverse events (AE). The objective of this review was to systematically review AEs reported in association with MBIs in children. In this systematic review the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, CDSR, and CCRCT were searched from inception to August 2018. We included primary studies on participants ≤ 21 years of age that used an MBI. Experimental studies were assessed for whether AEs were reported on or not, and all other study designs were included only if they reported an AE. A total of 441 were included as primary pediatric MBI studies. Of these, 377 (85.5%) did not explicitly report the presence/absence of AEs or a safety assessment. There were 64 included studies: 43 experimental studies reported that no AE occurred, and 21 studies reported AEs. There were 37 AEs found, of which the most serious were grade 3. Most of the studies reporting AEs did not report on severity (81.0%) or duration of AEs (52.4%). MBIs are popularly used in children; however associated harms are often not reported and lack important information for meaningful assessment.
Highlights
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review examining the safety of all pediatric MB interventions
This review identified adverse events associated with MB interventions, the majority of which were mild
MB interventions are commonly used by children, and while some mild (Grade 1) to moderate (Grade 2–3) adverse events have been reported, serious (Grade 4–5) AEs were not identified
Summary
Mind-body (MB) interventions are types of complementary therapies designed “with the intent to use the mind to affect physical functioning and promote health” [1]. They are a diverse group of modalities including biofeedback, hypnosis, and meditation, and have been utilized at least once by 5.3% of children in the United States aged 4–17 [2]. The popularity of MB interventions in pediatrics is increasing [3,4,5], as evidenced by a repeated survey (2007 and 2012) that demonstrated that their use had increased from 2.5% to 3.2%
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