Psychological treatment for recurrent symptoms of colds and flu in children.

The effect of stress management and relaxation with guided imagery on upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) was investigated in 45 children with a history of 10 or more infections in the past year. To investigate the influence of psychological treatment on mucosal immunity, secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) was measured before and during treatment. The number of symptomatic episodes during 13 weeks of monitoring was similar in treatment and waitlist conditions; however, episodes were shorter in stress management and guided imagery conditions than in the waitlist condition. Levels of sIgA increased toward the end of treatment. These findings were confirmed in a replication study. In addition, symptom reduction and improvements in psychological state persisted at 1-year follow-up. The findings suggest that psychological treatment interrupts a chronic illness cycle in children with symptoms of recurrent URTI.