Mindful self-compassion program for chronic pain patients: A randomized controlled trial


Author: M Torrijos-Zarcero1,2, R Mediavilla2, B Rodríguez-Vega1,2,3, M Del Río-Diéguez3, I López-Álvarez1,2, C Rocamora-González1,2, A Palao-Tarrero1,2,3

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Clinical Psychology and Mental Health Department, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.

<sup>2</sup> La Paz Hospital Institute for Health Research (IdiPAZ), Madrid, Spain.

<sup>3</sup> Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain.
Conference/Journal: Eur J Pain
Date published: 2021 Jan 20
Other:
  Special Notes: doi: 10.1002/ejp.1734.   ,  Word Count: 239  
    Background:

Although evidence-based psychological treatments for chronic pain have been demonstrated to be effective for a variety of outcomes, modest effects observed in recent reviews indicate scope for improvement. Self-compassion promotes a proactive attitude towards self-care and actively seeking relief from suffering. Consequently, more compassionate people experience better physical, psychological, and interpersonal wellbeing.



Methods:

We conducted a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial to examine the effects of a Mindful Self-Compassion program (MSC) on relevant clinical outcomes in patients with chronic pain. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the two intervention arms: MSC or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The protocols of both intervention arms were standardized and consisted of a 150-minute session once every 8 weeks formatted to groups of no more than 20 participants. The primary outcome was self-compassion, measured with the self-compassion scale (SCS). The secondary outcomes were other pain-related scores, quality-of-life measures, and anxiety and depression scores.



Results:

Sixty-two and sixty-one patients were assigned to the MSC and CBT group, respectively. The MSC intervention was more effective than CBT for self-compassion (ATE = 0.126, p < 0.05). The secondary outcomes, pain acceptance (ATE = 5.214, p < 0.01), pain interference (ATE = -0.393, p < 0.05), catastrophizing (ATE = -2.139, p < 0.10), and anxiety (ATE = -0.902, p < 0.05), were also favored in the experimental arm (MSC). No serious adverse events were observed.



Conclusions:

MSC is an appropriate therapeutic approach for chronic pain patients and may result in greater benefits on self-compassion and emotional well-being than CBT.





PMID: 33471404 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1734