Brief Online Intervention for Chronic Pain

The Expressive Writing Paradigm: A Study of Therapeutic Effectiveness for Chronic Pain

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Chronic Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Self-compassion writing; Other: Self-efficacy writing

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 93
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

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)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Self-compassion writing	Other: Self-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.
Active Comparator: Self-efficacy writing	Other: Self-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.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome 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 Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from Baseline in Pain Severity	Pain severity is measured on a 10-point rating scale.	Change from Baseline in Pain Severity at 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Maryland, College Park
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mary Ann Hoffman, PhD, University of Maryland, College Park

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 10, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 10, 2012
• First Posted (Estimated): July 12, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 30, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 25, 2023
• Last Verified: May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Chronic pain; Brief intervention; Online; Writing; Psychological adjustment; Internet interventions
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Chronic Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: 338877-1