Management of Procedural Pain and Anxiety in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Although there is a body of literature on the implementation of interventions to manage procedural pain and anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), we found no literature presenting the current state of knowledge on this topic. Objectives: To review the state of knowledge on interventions for the management of procedural pain and anxiety in children and adolescents with ASD. Method: A scoping review using PRISMA-ScR was conducted. Data sources: PubMed, MEDLINE, All EBM Reviews, Embase, APA PsychInfo, EBSCO CINAHL, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global databases were searched. Gray literature was also searched. Analysis method: Braun and Clarke's (2006) model for thematic analysis in psychology was used to synthesize the search results. Results: Thirty articles were selected. Analysis of the extracted data revealed four elements of intervention for better management of procedural pain and anxiety in the study population: 1) characteristics of the procedure and the immediate environment; 2) parent-child interactions; 3) health care provider-child interactions; and 4) direct pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Implications for nursing practice: Nurses must be able to implement appropriate interventions for the management of procedural pain and anxiety in youth with an autism spectrum disorder.