Online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain in Sample of People With Chiari Malformation

Summary

Twenty percent of US adults report chronic pain symptoms. Both psychological symptoms and sleep issues commonly co-occur with chronic pain. Chronic pain is a frequently reported symptoms of Chiari Malformation (CM); however, the cause of pain symptoms is not fully understood, and pain is not associated with the extent of neural abnormality in CM.

ACT is not a set of techniques, but rather a way of thinking. ACT encourages acceptance, as opposed to avoidance of unwanted feelings, all in the context of mindfulness (i.e., being aware of one's present environment and in tune with internal thoughts and emotions). ACT has been found to be successful at reducing pain perceptions and targeting multiple symptoms at one time. However, ACT has not been examined in CM and it is unknown whether ACT will improve sleep as well as pain-related symptoms. The purpose of the current study is to assess the efficacy of an online ACT intervention at reducing pain interference and sleep dysfunction symptoms in a sample with CM. It is hypothesized that CM patients may benefit from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). More specifically it is hypothesized that the treatment group will report significantly less pain interference and psychological flexibility compared to the control group. It is also hypothesize that ACT will mediate the relationship between sleep dysfunction and pain interference.

Based on power analyses the sample size will be 56. The sample will be recruited online and randomized to the treatment or control group. The intervention will consist of eight modules that are administered weekly over eight weeks. Additionally, a 7-day sleep diary will be administered the week prior to the intervention and the week after the intervention. Follow up assessments will be administered upon completion of the 8-week intervention (at the beginning of week 9), 1-month after, and 3 months after the completion of the intervention.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain
• Chiari Malformation

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention

The intervention includes 8 modules (i.e, Away Moves, Letting Go of Control, Noticing Hooks, Stepping Back, Your Values, How You Want to Act, Goal Setting, and Making Commitments). "Away Moves" and "Letting Go of Control," helps establish creative hopelessness, where one abandons futile struggles against negative internal experiences and accepts new solutions. These two modules also help identify experiential avoidance and focus on acceptance. "Noticing Hooks" and "Stepping Back" focus on defusion, self as context, and mindfulness. While, mindfulness is overtly addressed in the module "Stepping Back" it is weaved through each module. "Your Values" and "How You Want to Act" focus on helping participants identify their values. "Goal Setting" and "Making Commitments" focus on committed action. Each module ends with a practice assignment which participants are asked to engage in over the next week.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Utah State University

  collaborator OTHER

• Conquer Chiari

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Kent State University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Douglas L Delahanty, PhD. · Kent State University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-08-15

Primary Completion

2020-06-30

Completion

2020-10-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations