Positive Psychology for Chronic Pain Self-management

University of Michigan

Status: Completed

Conditions: Chronic Pain

Treatments: Behavioral: Positive STEPS

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT04321239

2P30AG022845-16 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

HUM00162275

Details and patient eligibility

About

Learning chronic pain self-management skills can help patients improve daily functioning and quality of life, while avoiding risks associated with opioids and other pharmacological treatments. Community health workers (CHWs) may help make chronic pain self-management interventions more accessible to older adults living in underserved communities. The goal of this study is to conduct a randomized pilot and feasibility trial of a positive psychology-based chronic pain self-management intervention delivered by CHWs, in conjunction with mobile health tools, in a sample of 50 older adults recruited from community sites in Detroit, Michigan. This study will involve the use of mixed quantitative and qualitative methods to assess participant engagement and satisfaction, and change in pain-related outcomes.

Enrollment: 51 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• English-proficient
• Ambulatory with or without assistive device
• Community-living
• Have a cell or landline phone
• Have Internet access (home or elsewhere);
• Self-reported chronic musculoskeletal pain (pain in muscles or joints for > 3 months); >4 (0-10 scale) average pain level over last week; >1 day/previous 30 when pain made it difficult to do usual activities.

Exclusion criteria

• Serious acute illness or hospitalization in last month
• Planned surgery in next three months
• Severe cognitive impairment or other severe physical or psychiatric disorder judged by study team to pose significant barrier to deriving program benefit

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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51 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will engage in a 7-week positive psychology-based chronic pain self-management program.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Positive STEPS

Usual care control group

No Intervention group

Description:

After completing the follow-up telephone survey, individuals in the control condition will be given access to the online program, a wearable physical activity tracker to use and keep, and will be invited to attend a one-time 2.5-hour in-person or telephone workshop that summarizes intervention content and that will be led jointly by study staff and a community health worker.