Chronic Pain
Conditions
Keywords
Chronic pain, Psychological adjustment, Writing, Brief intervention, Online, Internet interventions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of writing about chronic pain on mental and physical health. The effectiveness of two different types of brief online writing interventions will be explored in individuals with chronic pain.
Detailed description
Chronic pain is highly prevalent and costly, but often not treated effectively. Psychological interventions are needed as part of chronic pain treatment since the pain affects many aspects of an individual's life. In particular, brief psychological interventions that are easily accessible (i.e., online) could benefit many people with chronic pain. Writing interventions have been used in recent years to understand difficult experiences. Writing interventions have been found to help individuals explore distressing thoughts and feelings, such as those that are associated with pain.
Interventions
OTHERSelf-compassion writing
Participants are instructed to write about their chronic pain in a way that elicits self-compassion for 20 minutes once a week for three consecutive weeks.
OTHERSelf-efficacy writing
Participants are instructed to write about their chronic pain in a way that elicits self-efficacy for 20 minutes once a week for three consecutive weeks.
Sponsors
University of Maryland, College Park
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosed with chronic pain or a chronic pain condition or discussed pain management strategies (e.g., pain medication) with a doctor * Experience pain on most days of the month for at least six months * Able to read and write in English
Exclusion criteria
* Chronic pain directly caused by a terminal condition (e.g., stage 4 cancer)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Change from Baseline in Self-Compassion Scale | Change from Baseline in Self-Compassion Scale at 4 weeks |
| Change from Baseline in Pain Self-Efficacy Scale | Change from Baseline in Pain Self-Efficacy Scale at 4 weeks |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from Baseline in Pain Severity | Change from Baseline in Pain Severity at 4 weeks | Pain severity is measured on a 10-point rating scale. |
Outcome results
None listed