Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Treating Chronic Pain A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Juhong Pei, Tong Ma, Rui-Lin Nan, Haixia Chen, Yabin Zhang, Lin Gou, Xinman Dou
Psychology, Health & Medicine November 26, 2020 DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2020.1849746 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA systematic review and meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trials involving 433 patients with chronic pain conditions (low back pain, fibromyalgia, migraine, rheumatoid arthritis, and mixed etiology) found that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) produced short-term improvements in depressed mood and mindfulness compared with usual care or non-MBCT controls. No significant between-group differences were observed for pain intensity, pain interference, or pain acceptance at short- or long-term follow-up. MBCT did not differ from active treatments on any outcome. The authors call for longer follow-up, larger samples, and more rigorous trials to address remaining uncertainties.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 433 |
| Population | Patients with chronic pain (chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, migraine, rheumatoid arthritis, and mixed etiology) |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | MBCT showed short-term improvement in depressed mood and mindfulness in chronic pain patients, but no significant effects on pain intensity, pain interference, or pain acceptance. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Chronic pain is a significant public health problem with emotional and disabling factors, which may not completely respond to current medical treatments such as opioids. The systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the effectiveness and safety of MBCT for patients with chronic pain. Database searches of PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus and CINAHL up to 15 October 2019. Included studies assessed with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Eight RCTs involved 433 patients, including chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, migraine, rheumatoid arthritis and mix etiology. MBCT intervention demonstrated a short-term improvement on depression mood [standardized mean difference −0.72; 95% confidence interval = −1.22 to −0.22, p = 0.005] compared with usual care and was associated with short-term improvement in mindfulness compared with non-MBCT [SMD 0.51; 95% CI = 0.01 to 1.01, p = 0.04]. Between-group differences in pain intensity, pain inference and pain acceptance were not significant at short- or long-term follow-up. Compared to active treatments, MBCT intervention not found significant differences in either short- or long-term outcomes. MBCT showed short-term efficacious on depressed mood and mindfulness of chronic pain patients. Longer follow-ups, large sample and rigorous RCTs that can be best understand remaining uncertainties needed.