Pain Catastrophizing Mediates the Association Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress in Chronic Pain Syndrome
Yael Conti, Jean‐Jacques Vatine, Sigal Levy, Yulia Levin Meltz, Sami Hamdan, Odelia Elkana
Pain Practice September 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1111/papr.12899 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Patients in subacute stage of recovery in a medical rehabilitation setting, including 17 with chronic pain |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Pain catastrophizing fully mediated the relationship between trait mindfulness and both depression and anxiety, but only in patients with chronic pain. |
Abstract
AbstractAimTrait mindfulness has been found to be inversely associated with emotional distress such as depression and anxiety among patients suffering from pain. The current study investigated the putative mechanisms underlying these associations by examining whether pain catastrophizing mediates the association between mindfulness and psychological distress and whether this model differs in patients suffering from chronic pain compared to patients experiencing nonchronic pain in a medical rehabilitation setting.MethodsForty‐eight patients in their subacute stage of recovery participated in the study. Seventeen participants had a diagnosis of chronic pain. Trait mindfulness was assessed using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, pain catastrophizing was assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, depression symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire, and anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale. Two mediation models were used, with pain catastrophizing mediating the association between mindfulness and depression and anxiety.ResultsCatastrophizing significantly mediated the association between trait mindfulness and depression (P < 0.05, confidence interval [CI] = −0.35, −0.05). Catastrophizing also mediated the relationship between trait mindfulness and anxiety (P < 0.05, CI = −0.34, −0.04). Two moderated mediation models were tested, in which pain catastrophizing fully mediated the relationship between trait mindfulness and depression and anxiety, but only in patients with chronic pain.ConclusionsThe negative association between trait mindfulness and psychological distress may thus be partly attributed to pain catastrophizing: individuals high in trait mindfulness engage in less catastrophic thinking and therefore experience less distress. Importantly, this was only observed in the patients with chronic pain. These results further underscore the need to cope with pain catastrophizing and encourage mindfulness among patients with chronic pain.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Is Mindfulness Associated With Lower Pain Reactivity and Connectivity of the Default Mode Network? A Replication and Extension Study in Healthy and Episodic Migraine Participants Journal of Pain August 4, 2022
- Exploring the underlying mechanism of the relation between trait mindfulness and insomnia among university students: a dual processing perspective. BMC Public Health February 13, 2026
- A Model of the Protective Value of Mindfulness in the Experience of Chronic Pain: Mediating Role of Pain Catastrophizing Mindfulness September 1, 2025
- Grieving a disrupted biography: an interpretative phenomenological analysis exploring barriers to the use of mindfulness after neurological injury or impairment. BMC Psychology August 24, 2021
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