Outcome Expectancies, Effects, and Mechanisms of Brief Training in Mindfulness Meditation vs. Loving-Kindness Meditation vs a Control Condition for Pain Management: A Randomized Pilot Study.
Melissa A Day, Natasha Matthews, Jonathan N. Davies, Claire Walker, Nicola Bray, Jeffrey J Kim, Mark P Jensen
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy September 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1080/15360288.2022.2141944 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA single 20-minute session of mindfulness meditation or loving-kindness meditation reduced pain intensity more than an audiobook control in 100 adults with chronic or current problematic pain. Both meditation types produced medium effects on pain intensity (mindfulness d=0.41, loving-kindness d=0.38), while the control showed almost no change. Pain unpleasantness decreased only slightly across all conditions. Participants expected greater benefits from both meditations than from the control. Mindfulness increased mindful observing, and loving-kindness meditation increased self-compassion, but these changes did not explain the pain reductions. Pain type did not affect the results.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 100 |
| Population | Adults with chronic or current problematic pain |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation Loving-kindness meditation |
| Duration | 20-minute single session |
| Keywords | Mindfulness meditation Expectancy Loving-kindness meditation Mediators Pain |
| Key finding | Both mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation produced medium reductions in pain intensity compared to a control, and these effects did not differ by pain type. |
Abstract
This study investigated the analgesic effects of a single session of mindfulness meditation (MM) and loving-kindness meditation (LKM) relative to a control. A total of 100 adults with chronic or current problematic pain completed a survey and were randomized to a 20-minute MM, LKM, or audiobook control. Co-primary outcomes of pain intensity and unpleasantness and mediators of mindfulness and self-compassion were assessed pre- and posttraining. Expectancies were assessed pretraining. Pain type (chronic vs current problematic) was a covariate. Relative to the control, higher expectancies were reported for MM and LKM (P < .001). MM (d = 0.41, P = .032) and LKM (d = 0.38, P = .027) had medium effects on pain intensity, with greater decreases than control (d = 0.05, P = .768). All conditions had small effects on unpleasantness. Mindful observing increased more within MM (d = 0.52, P = .022) and the control (d = 0.50, P = .011) than LKM (d = 0.12, P = .50); self-compassion increased more in LKM (d = 0.36, P = .042) than MM (d = 0.27, P = .201) and the control (d = 0.22, P = .249). The mediation models were nonsignificant. Pain type was a nonsignificant covariate. Overall, MM and LKM were associated with positive expectancies and small-medium pain intensity reductions, which did not differ by pain type. Although MM and LKM were associated with changes in theorized mediators, these changes did not underlie improvement.