Feasibility and Acceptability of an Abbreviated, Four-Week Mindfulness Program for Chronic Pain Management.

A four-week abbreviated mindfulness program for adults with chronic pain is feasible, acceptable, and may improve quality of life and psychological functioning. In a single-arm study of 23 adults new to mindfulness, participants completed four weekly 90-minute sessions adapted from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Acceptable retention and attendance rates and high satisfaction ratings were reported. Significant pre- to post-treatment improvements occurred in pain intensity, pain interference, depressive symptoms, positive affect and well-being, sleep disturbance, pain acceptance, pain catastrophizing, perceived stress, and dispositional mindfulness, but not in physical functioning or anxiety. An appropriately powered randomized controlled trial is needed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program is effective at improving chronic pain outcomes, but the time demand hinders participation. This preliminary study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effects of providing an abbreviated mindfulness program for patients with chronic pain. DESIGN A single-arm, mixed-methods, pre-post intervention study. SETTING An outpatient rehabilitation clinic at an academic medical center. SUBJECTS Participants were N = 23 adults with chronic pain who were new to mindfulness practice. METHODS Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction was adapted to shorten the program to four weekly 90-minute sessions and to focus content on pain management. Three cohorts of six to nine participants completed baseline and post-treatment measures of 1) patient-reported outcomes, including pain intensity, pain interference, physical functioning, depressive/anxiety symptoms, positive affect and well-being, and sleep disturbance; 2) pain medication dosages; 3) psychosocial variables including pain acceptance, pain catastrophizing, and perceived stress; 4) dispositional mindfulness, as well as postintervention structured interviews about their experiences. RESULTS Acceptable rates of retention and attendance and high ratings of satisfaction indicated that the intervention was feasible and acceptable. In interviews, participants found the program acceptable and beneficial and provided suggestions to improve it. From pre- to post-treatment, significant improvements were reported in all measures except physical functioning and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS In adults with chronic pain, a four-week mindfulness program is feasible and acceptable, addresses the barrier of a lengthy program, and may improve quality of life and psychological functioning. An appropriately powered randomized controlled trial with a comparison group is needed to assess the intervention's effectiveness.