Moderators of mindfulness meditation, cognitive therapy, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for chronic low back pain: A test of the Limit, Activate and Enhance model.
Journal of Pain January 1, 2019 M. Day, B. Thorn, D. Ehde et al.
Different patients with chronic low back pain may benefit from different psychosocial treatments depending on their baseline characteristics. In a secondary analysis of a trial comparing cognitive therapy, mindfulness meditation, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for 69 adults, moderation analyses found that baseline pain catastrophizing, brain state (theta power on electroencephalogram), and mindful non-reactivity each predicted which treatment yielded greater improvement in pain intensity, depression, or physical function. For example, higher catastrophizing favored mindfulness meditation for pain intensity, while lower catastrophizing favored mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The findings support the possibility that patient-treatment matching could optimize outcomes.