Coping and acceptance in chronic childhood conditions

Some conditions leave children and adolescents experiencing chronic discomfort, even though there is no ongoing pathology or degenerative change. Passive coping, in the form of avoidance and withdrawal from activities, has been shown to be an unhelpful approach to these experiences. However, research has historically been less clear about which coping styles to promote. Since conditions such as chronic pain and fatigue cannot be easily 'fixed', or 'problem-solved', what is the ideal approach? New research on acceptance and different styles of active coping shows promising data, and emerging clinical traditions of acceptance and mindfulness provide the clinical methods that can support alternative responses to distress.