Surprising number of parents agree to use of placebos in children
pharmafile | November 16, 2016 | News story | Medical Communications, Research and Development | Placebo, children
A study by Boston Children’s Hospital found that parents recognised that placebos are a vital part of research and that they believe it acceptable for children to receive placebos, in certain situations. The online survey asked 1,000 parents about their attitude to placebos and the results came back surprisingly in favour of placebos being used for treatment of children (with 86% in favour).
A number of new research studies are emerging looking into the effects of placebos, with one emerging late last month identifying the region of the brain responsible for reacting to placebos in pain relief. This latest study turned towards peoples’ attitudes to the use of placebos and particularly in an area that is fraught for parents: their use in treating children.
This was highlighted by a 96.5% positive response rate, in the study, to the question that there was an imperative to make sure that there were ethical guidelines around the use of placebos with children. In total, 91.5% of respondents agreed that placebo use in clinical trials is vital while 86% believe that giving their child a placebo would be acceptable in certain situations.
However, the parents only felt comfortable allowing for the use of placebo in seven out of 17 possible conditions. With the conditions that were acceptable being ‘less severe’, such as common colds, eat infections and sleep disturbance.
“The question of placebos is more complex when it comes to children, since parents must make medical decisions on their behalf,” says Vanda Faria, PhD, a research fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Center for Pain and the Brain. “Large placebo responses have been seen in a variety of pediatric conditions, and parent’s perceptions can influence how well placebos work. At the same time, little is still known about the potential harms of prolonged drug therapy on children’s development. Sometimes, the best intervention might not involve pharmacotherapy.”
The study recognition that there were limitations upon the study; the limitations being that the respondents were mostly white, half were college graduates and most of their children were in good health.
Ben Hargreaves
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