OBJECTIVE: There is a need for effective brief interventions in chronic pain patients, and the identification of mechanisms of change. METHOD: In the present study, we tested the effectiveness of MPEP (Multidisciplinary Pain Education Program), a very brief, four-session cognitive-behaviorally based psycho-educational intervention for chronic pain using a pre-and post-test design. In addition, pre- to post-treatment change scores were calculated to investigate factors associated with change in pain. Participants of the study were 53 patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Primary outcome measures were (1) pain severity, (2) health perception, and (3) severity of depression. Secondary outcome measures included factors that have been implicated in the maintenance of chronic pain and that might be associated with worse treatment outcome: (1) catastrophizing, (2) kinesiophobia, and (3) action-proneness. RESULTS: Findings provided preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of MPEP in that patients showed significant and clinically meaningful improvements in pain symptoms (F = 24.503, p < 0.001, d = 0.59) and action-proneness (F = 178.504, p < 0.001, d = 1.95), and small improvements in health perception (F = 7.116, p < 0.05, d = 0.30). Furthermore, results showed that changes in catastrophizing (β = -0.455, p = 0.001) and severity of depression (β = -0.300, p < 0.05) were independently and significantly associated with changes in pain. However, changes in health perception, kinesiophobia, and action-proneness were not significantly associated with changes in pain (β = 0.203, ns; β = 0.003, ns; and β = 0.154, ns, respectively). Importantly, duration of chronic pain was not related to treatment outcome (β = 0.070, ns). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of MPEP and possible mechanisms through which MPEP is effective. Yet, further research is needed to investigate the efficacy of MPEP.
OBJECTIVE: There is a need for effective brief interventions in chronic painpatients, and the identification of mechanisms of change. METHOD: In the present study, we tested the effectiveness of MPEP (Multidisciplinary Pain Education Program), a very brief, four-session cognitive-behaviorally based psycho-educational intervention for chronic pain using a pre-and post-test design. In addition, pre- to post-treatment change scores were calculated to investigate factors associated with change in pain. Participants of the study were 53 patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Primary outcome measures were (1) pain severity, (2) health perception, and (3) severity of depression. Secondary outcome measures included factors that have been implicated in the maintenance of chronic pain and that might be associated with worse treatment outcome: (1) catastrophizing, (2) kinesiophobia, and (3) action-proneness. RESULTS: Findings provided preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of MPEP in that patients showed significant and clinically meaningful improvements in pain symptoms (F = 24.503, p < 0.001, d = 0.59) and action-proneness (F = 178.504, p < 0.001, d = 1.95), and small improvements in health perception (F = 7.116, p < 0.05, d = 0.30). Furthermore, results showed that changes in catastrophizing (β = -0.455, p = 0.001) and severity of depression (β = -0.300, p < 0.05) were independently and significantly associated with changes in pain. However, changes in health perception, kinesiophobia, and action-proneness were not significantly associated with changes in pain (β = 0.203, ns; β = 0.003, ns; and β = 0.154, ns, respectively). Importantly, duration of chronic pain was not related to treatment outcome (β = 0.070, ns). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of MPEP and possible mechanisms through which MPEP is effective. Yet, further research is needed to investigate the efficacy of MPEP.
Authors: Gianluca Castelnuovo; Emanuele M Giusti; Gian Mauro Manzoni; Donatella Saviola; Arianna Gatti; Samantha Gabrielli; Marco Lacerenza; Giada Pietrabissa; Roberto Cattivelli; Chiara A M Spatola; Stefania Corti; Margherita Novelli; Valentina Villa; Andrea Cottini; Carlo Lai; Francesco Pagnini; Lorys Castelli; Mario Tavola; Riccardo Torta; Marco Arreghini; Loredana Zanini; Amelia Brunani; Paolo Capodaglio; Guido E D'Aniello; Federica Scarpina; Andrea Brioschi; Lorenzo Priano; Alessandro Mauro; Giuseppe Riva; Claudia Repetto; Camillo Regalia; Enrico Molinari; Paolo Notaro; Stefano Paolucci; Giorgio Sandrini; Susan G Simpson; Brenda Wiederhold; Stefano Tamburin Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2016-04-19