Pain, mindfulness, and placebo: a systematic review.
Alexandra Lopes, Rute Sampaio, Isaura Tavares
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2024.1432270 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cognitive-behavioral therapy Expectations Meditation therapy Pain measurements Placebo effects |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Placebo and expectancy effects play a role in the pain-relieving effects of mindfulness-based interventions for both acute and chronic pain. |
Abstract
Pain is a complex phenomenon influenced by psychosocial variables, including the placebo effect. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for pain has been demonstrated in experimental studies and systematic reviews, but the mechanisms of action are only starting to be established. Whether the expectations of individuals experiencing pain can be manipulated during MBIs remains to be systematically evaluated, and what role placebo effects might play remains to be explored. To evaluate the literature analyzing placebo effects in MBIs for pain, we performed a systematic review based on searches conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases. Our search revealed a total of 272 studies, of which only 19 studies were included (10 acute pain and nine chronic pain), considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria related to expectations and placebo effects. From the 19 included studies, six measured placebo effects only in relation to the pharmacological intervention used in the study and not to an MBI. The results of the few studies that focused on the placebo effects of the MBIs indicate that placebo and expectations play a role in the MBIs' effects on pain. Although expectations and placebo effects are frequently discussed in the context of mindfulness and pain research, these results show that these factors are still not routinely considered in experimental designs. However, the results of the few studies included in this systematic review highlight a clear role for placebo and expectancy effects in the overall effects of MBIs for both acute and chronic pain, suggesting that routine measurement and further consideration in future studies are warranted. Additional research in this fascinating and challenging field is necessary to fully understand the connection between MBIs, placebo/expectations, and their effects on pain relief.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 1
Cites 28
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016
- Research in Mindfulness Interventions for Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Critical Review. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience July 28, 2022
- Placebo effects contribute to brief online mindfulness interventions for chronic pain: results from an online randomized sham-controlled trial. Pain October 1, 2023
and 23 more in the library