Table 1. Characteristics of the randomized controlled studies of medical hypnosis included in the meta-analyses*.
| Reference | Medical indication | Number of _studies/patients (sample size range) | Patients’ age and sex | Type and duration of hypnosis | Type of control groups | Methodological quality of the studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kekecs et al. 2014 (10) |
Minor (n=11). major (n=14) or unspecified (n=1) surgical interventions |
26/1890 (12–346) |
Children and adults. no further details | 13 studies with hypnosis. 11 studies with therapeutic suggestions. 2 studies with both; 13 studies with live hypnosis and 13 studies with ready-made audio files; no data on duration |
Standard treatment or attention control | Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool: relatively high risk of bias in the studies |
| Madden et al. 2012 (11) |
Pain during labor and childbirth |
7/1213 (38–520) | Adult women in six studies; minors in one study | 6 studies on prenatal classes (3 in groups and 3 in an individual setting) with at least 3 sessions; 1 study with 45 min (live) during contractions |
Standard treatment (i.e.. prenatal instruction) or attention control (supportive treatment) | Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool: 1 study with low and 6 studies with moderate to high risk of bias |
| Schaefert et al. 2014 (12) |
Irritable bowel_ | 8/464 _(24–91) | Adults; range of mean age 36.3–42 years (median 39.8); average proportion of women: 82% [79.3; 86.5] |
Median 8.5 (7–12) live hypnosis sessions over median 12 (5–12) weeks. median treatment duration 7 (2.5–12) h; 7 studies with individual sessions and 1 study with group sessions |
Standard treatment. waiting list or attention control (education. supportive treatment) | Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool: 6 studies with low and 2 studies with high risk of bias |
| Schnur et al. 2008 (13) | Medical interventions |
26/2342 (20–200) | 4.8–70.3 years; _no data on sex _distribution | 7 studies with therapeutic suggestions; 20 studies with live hypnosis. 6 studies with ready-made audio files; no data on frequency and duration of sessions | Standard treatment or attention control | No data |
| Tefikow et al. 2013 (14) |
Medical interventions |
34/2597 (16–347) | Adults; median age 40 years; median proportion of men 40% (experimental groups). 37% (control groups) |
21 studies with live hypnosis 9 studies with ready-made audio files. 4 studies with both; duration of intervention: 3–20 min: 9 studies 21–110 min: 17 studies 110–240 min: 8 studies |
Standard treatment or attention control | Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool: most studies with high or unclear risk of bias |
*The meta-analyses are listed in alphabetical order