Examination of Psychological and Physiological Pathways Linking Gratitude and Pain

Black Hills State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Positive Thinking; Emotions; Acute Pain

Treatments: Behavioral: Behavioral Writing Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06317844

P20GM103443 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

BlackHillsHealthPsych

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of a brief gratitude intervention on individuals' psychological and physiological responses to acute pain. Furthermore, these associations will be examined in the context of genetic variations associated with both pain and psychological processes.

Full description

After being informed about the study and potential risks, all patients giving written informed consent will be randomized to a behavioral writing intervention and a cold pressor task. Participants will be randomized to a gratitude or neutral writing condition.

Enrollment: 145 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• must be pain-free
• must be at least 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

• cardiovascular disease
• Raynaud's disease
• epilepsy
• being pregnant
• having a current injury to or open cut or sore on one's non-dominant hand
• history of fainting or seizures
• history of frostbite in non-dominant hand
• chronic pain conditions (e.g., fibromyalgia, neuropathy, arthritis)
• diabetes
• malignant tumor
• chronic lung disease
• liver disease
• kidney disease
• gastrointestinal diseases
• currently taking opioids

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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145 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Gratitude Writing

Experimental group

Description:

In the gratitude writing condition, participants will write continuously for 5 minutes about someone they are grateful for.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Behavioral Writing Intervention

Neutral Writing

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Participants in the neutral writing condition will write continuously for 5 minutes about how they got to the research laboratory.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Behavioral Writing Intervention