Mindfulness-Based Group Therapy for Chronic Pain Management in Older Adults

Objectives:
There were two quality improvement goals for this project: (1) to evaluate the outcomes of an 8-week geriatric-focused mindfulness-based group therapy program for chronic pain management called "Mindfulness-based Chronic Pain Care" offered at a senior community center affiliated with a geriatric primary care clinic, and (2) to obtain feedback from participants to make relevant modifications for future groups.

Methods:
The program consisted of eight 150-minute weekly sessions. Thirteen community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and older participated in the program. The study utilized a non-randomized control-group pretest-posttest design. Participants completed pre- and post-program evaluations measuring pain and related psychosocial outcomes and were also asked to evaluate the importance of the group. Intervention and control groups were compared by t-test, chi-square likelihood ratio, Fischer's exact test, and multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures.

Results:
There were statistically significant improvements in three areas: 1) increased activity level, 2) increased "pain willingness," and 3) decreased generalized anxiety symptoms. Qualitative analysis highlighted how this intervention was important to participants.

Conclusions:
The results of this pilot program indicate promising outcomes for older adults suffering from chronic pain.

Clinical implications:
The Mindfulness-based Chronic Pain Care program was a practical, feasible, and acceptable approach for pain management among program participants.

Keywords: Chronic Pain; group therapy; mindfulness; older adults.

PMID: 37378667 DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2023.2229307