Online parent program to help prevent tummy pain in young children
Official title: Randomized controlled trial of an internet-based prevention intervention for young children at-risk for functional abdominal pain
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11314594 · Data updated 2026-11-12
An internet-based program for parents with IBS that teaches ways to lower their 4–6 year-old children's risk of developing tummy pain and related worry.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | April 11, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $608,235 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD107794-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11314594 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Parents diagnosed with IBS who have asymptomatic children aged about 4 to 6 years and who can use an online program are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Families with children who already have frequent abdominal pain, children outside the 4–6 age range, or parents without IBS are unlikely to get benefit from this preventive program.
What this research studies
This program offers parents who have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) online lessons based on social learning and cognitive behavioral approaches to change how they model and respond to pain. Parents of asymptomatic children ages 4–6 will be randomly assigned to the internet intervention or a comparison condition and followed over time. Researchers will collect surveys and follow-up measures of parent stress, anxiety, catastrophizing, child affect, and child abdominal pain and healthcare use. The goal is to shift parent behaviors and protective factors so children have fewer abdominal pain symptoms and less health-related disability.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lower the chances that children of parents with IBS develop chronic abdominal pain and reduce related healthcare use and disability.
How similar studies have gone: Related social learning and cognitive behavioral programs have helped children who already have pain, but applying this approach preventively in asymptomatic young children is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Palermo, Tonya M — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Palermo, Tonya M
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.